Re: Radium (was: Fernald Leak)

[Peter.Darnell%EM@em.doe.gov]

Message authorized by:
    : Rick_Strickert@radian.com_at_INTERNET at X400PO
     

Sorry to burst your balloon, but the Vitrification Pilot Plant (VitPP) is 
a field test to verify the vitrification option for WASTE DISPOSAL.  There 
is no, and never has been, a plan to recover radium.  Your information 
about radium recovery is erroneous.

* The 4,500 grams of radium, homogeneously mixed in 10,000 tons of 
  radioactive waste, estimate is correct.

*  There are possible medical uses for this radium however, the chemical 
   and mechanical separation process required to retreive the radium make 
   it extremely expensive.  I am not familar enough with medical HP to 
   provide more details.

*  The barium and lead were are a small portion of the surrogate material 
   being tested in the melter.

*  The project is not "shut down" however, it is currently at a standstill 
   until a root cause investigation and path forward analysis can be 
   completed.

You should all remember that our friends in the newsmedia do not always 
accurately portray incidents at radioactive facilities.  While there was an 
incident involving the VitPP at Fernald, it was fairly minor and there 
was NO RADIOLOGICAL OR ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES.  The fire was limited 
to a small (2 ft. by 2ft.) area.

The Department of Energy published a news release describing the event on 
December 27, 1996.  Please contact me individually for more information.

The opinions expressed in this message are solely my own and not reflective 
of 
the Department of Energy.

Pete Darnell
Health Physicist
peter.darnell%em@em.doe.gov
513-648-3182

______________________________ Reply Separator 
_________________________________
Subject: Radium (was: Fernald Leak)
Author:  radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu_at_INTERNET at X400PO
Date:    1/2/97 9:49 AM


Errors-To: melissa@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu 
Originator: radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu 
Precedence: bulk
X-Listserver-Version: 6.0 -- UNIX ListServer by Anastasios Kotsikonas 
X-Comment:  Radiation Safety Distribution List
     
Sandy Perle forwarded a news item to the list that contained the 
following:
     
>  The project is attempting to recover 4,500 grams of radium (slightly 
>  less than 10 pounds) from 10,000 tons of nuclear waste at the plant. 
>  Fernald, located 18 miles northwest of Cincinnati, has the largest- 
>  known supply of radium in the world.
     
How much radium is at Fernald, and is there an industrial or medical use 
for that much radium?
     
Rick
     
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