Fw: RE: Anyone seen this?

["James G. Barnes" <mail15077@pop.net>]

Dear Mark,

I handed your question around to some of our old-timers.  The general consensus 
is that the material (powder?) might have been an "arc-submersion flux"
for welding.  Check with an old (before heliarc) welder.

Jim Barnes, CHP
RSO
Radiation Safety Officer
Rocketdyne Division; Rockwell Aerospace

 --------------------------------

I've got a site in Northwestern NY.  The
site was an old metals milling
operations.  At this site near some
welding equipment we found ten 25 gal.
cardboard fiber packs with the following
label:

Zirconium Oxide, Calcium Oxide,
Hafnium Oxide

These packs were radioactive, and
read about 50 micro rem on the out
side of the packs.  (Using the Bicron
micro rem meter.)  I know the Hafnium
or NORM, but does anyone have an
idea what a metal milling operation
would be using this stuff for? Or what
are the hazards associated with the
material?

Mark Winslow - US EPA - Region II
winslow.mark@epamail.epa.gov