[ RadSafe ] Radioexcretia, etc. in municipal solid waste

[George J. Vargo]

Jim,
 
Your point is well taken and I am aware of I-131 from medical
administrations occasionally showing in radiological environmental samples.
Were these grab or samples counted to environmental MDAs or observations of
a real-time monitoring system?  There is a huge difference in the
sensitivity.
 

George J. Vargo, Ph.D., CHP 
Senior Scientist 
MJW Corporation 
http://www.mjwcorp.com <http://www.mjwcorp.com/>  
610-925-3377 
610-925-5545 (fax) 
vargo at physicist.net 

-----Original Message-----
From: Jim Hardeman [mailto:Jim_Hardeman at dnr.state.ga.us] 
Sent: Friday, April 29, 2005 12:46
To: vargo at physicist.net; radsafe at radlab.nl; crispy_bird at yahoo.com
Subject: RE: [ RadSafe ] Radioexcretia, etc. in municipal solid waste


George -
 
I beg to differ ... I seem to recall a story (perhaps apochryphal) from my
colleagues in Tennessee, and their environmental monitoring program around
Oak Ridge. Seems that occasionally they were seeing I-131 in the Clinch
River, and they were able to track it back to thyroid therapy patients. If
memory serves, they figured that one (1) patient elminating would not exceed
EPA maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) for I-131 in surface water, but that
more than one (1) patient eliminating simultaneously could. We OCCASIONALLY
saw I-131 "blips" downstream of Augusta and upstream of Vogtle and Savannah
River Site (SRS).
 
Bottom line ... the more you look, the more you're going to find.
 
Jim