Re: Radioactive Tinite? -Reply

[Henry Kahnhauser <kahnhaus@sun10.sep.bnl.gov>]

Yes I am interested in a list of vendors.

At 10:59 AM 10/26/95 -0500, you wrote:
>     I can't resist spinning this thread a little further.  I obtained 
>     some samples of Trinitite from a vendor of minerals & meteorites 
>     here in California.  They gave me a "questionable" certificate of 
>     authenticity which also assured that the sample was no longer 
>     radioactive (!).  This made me chuckle.  However, I am getting 
>     similar responses with our instrumentation as those Paul Frame 
>     mentioned with his 100g sample.  Needless to say, I have gotten 
>     great results in training with these little samples and will 
>     share the vendor info for those interested.  Additionally, I am 
>     intested in any references with quantitative information on the 
>     trinite composition.  
>     
>     Craig Nusenow
>     Radiation Safety Division
>     University of California, San Diego
>     Craig_Nusenow@ehs.ucsd.edu
>     
>
>     
>To know what the Trinitite was like 10 years after the blast, you 
>might get some info from an oldtimer like Ron Kathren :-) who 
>probably analyzed some at that time.
>     
>Keeping in mind that not all trinitite is exactly the same, and that 
>some so-called trinitite probably didn't come from the Trinity Test 
>site, I can describe a 100g sample we have.
>     
>Its about 5uR/hr above background on contact as measured with a uR 
>meter (small potatoes/potatos). A pancake Gm gives about 1000 cpm on 
>contact. I'd prefer not trying to convert that to dpm. The gamma 
>emitting nuclides include Cs-137 (by far the biggest single player) 
>Ba-133, Am-241, Eu-152 and, incredibly considering their half life, 
>some traces of Eu-154, Eu-155 and Co-60. Of course the usual 
>naturally occuring suspects are also there. The non-gamma emitters 
>can be guessed at: a few plutonium nuclides, Sr-90 etc. I've never 
>bothered to do something quantitative unfortunately.
>     
>That's at least a partial answer to your question. BTW, if you want 
>to unload the stuff, there will be plenty of takers.
>     
>Paul Frame
>Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education 
>Professional Training Programs
>framep@orau.gov
>     
>     
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Henry F. Kahnhauser				Internet:  hfk@bnl.gov
S&EP Division
Building 129b					(516) 282-7509 (work)
Brookhaven National Laboratory			(516) 282-7497 (fax)
Upton, NY 11973  USA
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