Re: RADIUM ORE REVIGATOR

[JMUCKERHEIDE@delphi.com]

Jim Williams writes:

about "disposing" of revigators!? Imagine destroying such a find. We'd throw
out paintings with a little arsenic in the paint? :-) 

Note that the HPS states clearly and with certainty: the data demonstrate that 
doses <5 rem/year, 10 rem lifetime, very conservatively, can not justify
assigning/calculating any risk. Do do anything else is wasteful and
destructive. Especially for items of such value. :-) 

Regards, Jim Muckerheide
jmuckerheide@delphi.com
=======================
> Coleman, Jesse H. wrote:
> > 
> > Two weeks ago, I saw a "Radium Ore Revigator" in an antique store in
> > western Ky.  It was a ceramic crock, bell shaped, about 2 feet tall with
> > a ceramic lid and a small spout at the bottom.  It had the following
> > glazed markings:
> > On front:       Radium Ore "Revigator"
> >                 Patd. 7-16-12  Trade Mark
> >                 The Radium Ore Revigator Co.
> >                 Revigator Building
> >                 San Francisco Cal
> > On both sides:          1 Fill Jar every night
> >                 2 Use hydrant or any good water
> >                 3 Drink freely when thirsty and upon arising and retiring  Ave
> rage six
> > or more glasses daily
> >                 Scrub with stiff brush and scald monthly.
> > 
> > I guess radium was good for you back in 1912.  I had no instrument at
> > the time so did no survey.  How hot are these things and how much radium
> > do they contain?  Radium is regulated by the states, but what is the
> > legal status of this thing?
> > 
> > Jesse H. Coleman
> > Health Physicist, MPB 1B-M
> > Voice:   205-386-2993
> > FAX:     205-386-2370
> > e-mail:  jhcoleman@tva.gov
> 
> 
>         In fact, Radium was thought to be good for you in 1912. These 
> items were pretty common. The inside of the jar was typically coated 
> with Radium of various chemical forms, usually salts. Most jars 
> contained uCi ranges, but some contained mCi ranges of Radium-226.
> 
>         The regulatory status of these jars varies from state to state. 
> Some states will pick them up and pay for the disposal costs, others 
> will charge the "generator" for disposal. The most cost effective option 
> for the disposal of these items is as NARM at Richland. The volume is 
> too small for Envirocare and Barnwell doesn't really like Radium.
> 
>         Since the material is Radium-226, the waste would be 
> classified as either NORM (Naturally Occurring Radioactive 
> Material) or NARM (Naturally Occurring or Accelerator Produced 
> Radioactive Material). Classification as LLRW would be incorrect and 
> would adversly affect disposal options and disposal price.
> 
>         Maybe a call to the Commonwealth of Kentucky would be 
> appropriate. The antique store owner probably doesn't know that it is 
> radioactive. Although unlikely, it is possible that his store may have 
> become contaminated.
> 
>         Jim Williams
>         Thomas Gray & Associates
>         5227 Blossom
>         Houston, Texas 77007
>         713-869-0018
>         713-869-0070 (facsimile)
>         NARM@Worldnet.att.com