Volatility of Americium -Reply

[Barty Simonton <Barty_Simonton@mail.dnr.state.ga.us>]

I have seen several moisture density gages with Am-Be sources that
have been through severe fires (enough to melt away all the outer casing
and inner shielding, leaving only the seeds laying in the ashes).  The
Am-Be sources have remained intact with no detectable removable
contamination.

>>> John E. Aperans <aperans@ja.dna.mil> 07/18/96 12:51 >>>
Greetings to all:

I am trying to work through an improbable scenario here.  If a fire broke
out in an area where Am-241 sealed sources were stored, how much (if
any) of the Am-241 would be lost to the atmosphere and how much
would remain in the ashes?  

Thanx in advance,
John E. Aperans aperans@ja.dna.mil