RESPONSE TO QUESTION BY DAVID CHAWAGA

[HOFFMANJ@detroitedison.com]

In response to question asked by David Chawaga: 
 
	His question was whether there may be any radioactivity from mail sent 
from Marinskaya in Volochisk, Ukraine. 
 
	I would like to relate a story of similar interest and possibly shed 
some light on your question.  Last year a Safety Officer from a neighboring 
utility called and asked if he could bring a friend by to have some surveys 
performed on material brought back from the Soviet Union.  She was from a 
local church group that had been in the Ukraine doing humanitarian work.  The 
relief work was for the people removed from the evacuation zone surrounding 
the damaged reactor at Chernobyl.  	She had received many gifts from the 
people of that region.  Most of the gifts were old, used and fragmented items 
from the families.  There were plates, toys, cloth goods and other everyday 
items.  There were even dolls made of tree bark and wood from the area near 
Chernobyl.     	I performed several surveys of the items.  I surveyed 
for loose surface contamination as well as fixed.  I looked for alpha, beta 
and gamma activity.  The only item that had activity was a lead crystal 
pitcher, which was found to have only naturally occurring radioactive 
isotopes.   
	The best answer to your question would be it is very unlikely that 
detectable radioactivity would be found on any correspondence.  However this 
is only my opinion and since I am not an expert in the manufacturing of paper 
products, should be viewed as such. 
 
Jeff Hoffman 
Senior Radiation Protection Tech. 
Radiological Health Department 
Detroit Edison Fermi 2  
EMAIL- HOFFMANJ@DETROITEDISON.COM