Re: NRC Licensing of Am-241 -Reply

[Charles Willis <CAW@nrc.gov>]

Be careful with David Lee's comment.  Am-241 IS byprodyct material.  It is formed by the beta
decay of Pu-241 which is created in reactors.  The fact that it may be produced in other ways
is irrelevant.  Tritium, for example, is produced by nature in great quantities and it was the first
radionuclide produced in the laboratory.  Still, the reactor-produced tritium is regulated as a
byproduct material.  In fact, no radionuclides are produced in reactors that are not also
produced by nature, because neutrons and uranium are present almost everywhere.  (Of
course there are differences in the quantities of radionuclides in reactors and most other
places.)