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Uranyl Acetate
Forwarded-from: MIKEG
1. Well, it is certainly bad cytochemical hygiene technique to use
TEM heavy metal stains without gloves or a small hood or preparation
glove box. (This reminds me of some stories of Dentists working with
berylium!) As is virtually always true for the uranyl acetate
commercially marketed (whether DU or natural uranium), the heavy
metal toxicity greatly exceeds the danger from alpha, etc., radiation.
2. The Clinical Investigation Center at Oak Knoll also had some of
this on the shelf which we looked at using ZnS scintillators. Extremely
long counting times were necessary to see anything. Probably has
something to do with the emissivity rate! Anyway, low background
counters and other uranium detection techniques could be used if you
really wanted to. However, since this is a known compound, you can
calculate the activity per unit mass fairly easily and estimate any
potential exposures based on the quantities used by the technician
in sample preparations. Wipe tests in the use areas are not very
likely to find anything unless you have the right counters available.
3. Bottom line is that the chief health hazard is uranium metal
toxicity, not radiation exposure! There is extensive literature
on uranium health effects.
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Date: Tue, 19 Jul 94 08:07:03 -0500
Message-Id: <CMM-RU.1.4.774623116.ischneid@gandalf.rutgers.edu>
Errors-To: mandel@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu
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From: Ira Schneider <ischneid@gandalf.rutgers.edu>
To: Multiple recipients of list <radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu>
Subject: Uranyl Acetate
X-Listserver-Version: 6.0 -- UNIX ListServer by Anastasios Kotsikonas
X-Comment: Radiation Safety Distribution List
Today, an electron microscopist discovered that uranyl acetate contains
depleted uranium even though it is labeled as rad limited quantity.
Of course we had no idea he has been working with it since 1965 not
bothering to wear gloves or working in a hood. He now wants to know
the classic question of was he exposed to radiation?
I am interested in finding out how other institutions regulate this
substance with respect to personnel monitoring. How would one go
about reconstructing a dose? Any good literature out there that I
could get my hands on. Any comments would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance!
Ira Schneider
Ischneid@gandalf.rutgers.edu