Re: update on contaminated lead products -Reply

[Jim Hardeman <Jim_Hardeman@mail.dnr.state.ga.us>]

Franz --

The Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) made
the initial determination of Pb-210 contamination, based on
gamma spectroscopy using a HpGe detector. No Pb-210
precursors were noted ... although we did detect the 803 keV
gamma from Po-210.

Our "speculation" at this point is that somebody smelted
some lead contaminated with Ra-226 ... the radium itself and
most of the daughters would have stayed behind as the lead
was poured off, but any Pb-210 would have remained.

This issue is involving a lot of "detective" work by several
states, and we are at this point involved only on the periphery
of it. There are some leads, but nothing definitive as of close
of business on Friday.

>>> "Schoenhofer" <schoenho@via.at> 06/06/97 18:57 >>>

I wonder whether the Pb-210 contamination is of natural origin
or not. I can hardly imagine a contamination from artificially
produced Pb-210 (how should this work?) So what is the
source of the contamination? Any speculations?