Cooling Tower Radioactivity

["baumbaug@nosc.mil" <baumbaug@nosc.mil>]

       This seems to have been kicked back to me from radsafe (maybe they
didn't like my suggestion), but I'll try again one more time...jb



At 08:55 AM 8/13/97 +1000, you wrote:
>------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>DATE:  08-12-97     TIME:  15:20
>FROM:  MHS:BAUMBAUG@SMTP (baumbaug@nosc.mil) <baumbaug@nosc.mil>
>
>TO:  MHS:RADSAFE@SMTP (Multiple recipients of list)
><radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu>
>SUBJECT:  Re: Cooling tower radioactivity
>PRIORITY:  
>
> --------------------------------M/S---------------------------------------

>        David,
>
>        If the tower had a "lightning" rod, then you've probably found your
>culprit.  Lightning rods "often" have radioactive material (various
>radioisotopes are/were used) incorporated within them to ionize the
>surrounding air and facilitate the lighting's path to ground.
>
>        Joel
>
>P.S. It "could" also be natural radioactivity (sediments) in the water, but...
>
>
>
>At 02:27 PM 8/12/97 -0500, you wrote:
>>Dear colleagues,
>>
>>I recently had a question asked by a member of the hazardous waste team
>>at our facility that I did not know the answer to and was wondering if
>>anyone could help me.
>>
>>He told me that a waste hauler friend of his had dismantled an old water
>>cooling tower (~40 yrs old) from the top of an office building and had
>>attempted to take it to a landfill.  The tower material  was rejected
>>because it was emitting radiation above the landfill's acceptable
>>limits.
>>
>>Would anyone know how radioactivity could have ended up in the tower
>>materials and what radionuclides could be present?  From what I was told
>>most of the material was wood.  Thank you in advance for your
>>assistance.
>>
>>
>>David Engelbretson
>>Asst. RSO
>>Methodist Hospital, Houston
>>
>>
>>
>
Joel T. Baumbaugh (baumbaug@nosc.mil)
Naval Research and Development (NRaD)
San Diego, CA., U.S.A.

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