H-3 Penetration Rate

["Mercado, Don" <DMercado@svl.ems.lmco.com>]

Greetings, all.	

I'm looking for information on the penetration rate of tritium into
metals. Specifically, if you seal tritium contaminated metals into a
metal box, or 55 gallon drum, how long before it starts to show up on
the outside of the container, and in what concentrations? I have some
tritiated waste, and management wants to know how long I can store it
before it becomes a "problem". From experience I know tritium will pass
through sealed containers, but I don't know how quickly contamination
builds up on the surface. I also know that there are a lot of variables
here, but I need some baseline information. I have a feeling that it
won't be a "problem" ever because of the small quantities involved, but
I'd like some numbers to back up that feeling. If you have a source of
this information please contact me. 

Thank you in advance. Reply to Don.mercado@lmco.com