Re: Correction: 0.026 mR/hr 1' from 120lb KCl, 2x background

[farbersa@optonline.net]

Hi all:



Many years ago, I happened to go to a local BJ's Wholesale Club to buy some quick melt which happens to be KCl in 50 pound 5 gallon buckets. They had them stacked up on pallets between the checkout lines. Each pallet was about 6 buckets wide by 8 buckets deep by 5 buckets high.  So each pallet had about 12,000 pounds [6 tons] of KCl and the direct gamma exposure rate near the pallet [measured with a digi-dose meter] was 40 or 50 micro-R/hr. I used to have some interesting photos of a mother with her young child seated in the cart in the checkout line backed up to the center between two large pallets of KCl -- 6 tons to either side of the cart with mother/child.



I used to chuckle at the thought that some salt mines out West were being mined to sell the KCl to the public in situations where maximally exposed individuals might see gamma dose rates of 35 to 45 micro-R/hr above background.  At the same time anti-nuclear activists were protesting these salt mines [or some very similar] being filled in with stabilized nuclear waste that would NEVER, EVER yield offsite doses to any member of the public from theoretical leakage, whether 10,000 years in the future or longer, from the levels from the increased radiation exposure that can be realized from the KCl being extracted from the mines.and exposing people in the present. Rather droll.



Stewart Farber 

Consulting Scientist 

[203] 367-0791



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----- Original Message -----



From: howard long

Date: Wednesday, October 27, 2004 0:21 am Subject: Correction: 0.026 mR/hr 1' from 120lb KCl, 2x background > Correction confirmed and thank you, Stewart Farber. > > Readings vary, still doubling (0.016 to 0.032 mR/hr) when 1' from > 120 lb KCl, giving a mountain state dose to coast residents. > > Howard Long > > farbersa wrote: > On Tue, 26 Oct 2004 11:21:25 -0700 (PDT), howard long > wrote: > > > Even now, we can get around LNT based regulation. I just now > counted 26 > > mR/hr one foot from 3, 40 lb sacks of KCL (water softener salt > > available from Lowes or Home Depot for <$20) in a room otherwise > showing > > 13 mR/hr (half the gamma) on my Palmrad. This is about the > difference > > between non-exposed nuclear shipyard workers and those exposed > to 0.5 > > rem (who had less cancer and better longevity). > > ==== > Hi all: > > The units above in the prior note excerpt are undoubtedly > typographicalerrors and should read 13 micro-R background and a > doubling to 26 > micro-R/hr one foot from 120 pounds of KCl. A background reading > of 13 > mR/hr would equal 114 R/year gamma -- not very likely or desirable > by any > measure. > > Even at the center of an infinite volume of KCl the gamma flux > would not > equate to much more than a few hundred micro-R/hr. > > > -- > ************************************************************************ > You are currently subscribed to the Radsafe mailing list. To > unsubscribe, send an e-mail to Majordomo@list.vanderbilt.edu Put the > text "unsubscribe radsafe" (no quote marks) in the body of the e-mail, > with no subject line. You can view the Radsafe archives at > http://www.vanderbilt.edu/radsafe/ > > ************************************************************************ You are currently subscribed to the Radsafe mailing list. To unsubscribe, send an e-mail to Majordomo@list.vanderbilt.edu Put the text "unsubscribe radsafe" (no quote marks) in the body of the e-mail, with no subject line. You can view the Radsafe archives at http://www.vanderbilt.edu/radsafe/