Re: Old Radiation Source

["Wesley M. Dunn" <WDUNN@brc1.tdh.state.tx.us>]

I performed a quick look through the available documentation.  The 
Tracerlab RA-1A is a Sr-90 eye applicator with 50 mCi of Sr-90 (in 
equilibrium with yttrium-90).  Documentation indicates that the range 
the RA-1 could have been 25-100 mCi.  I didn't bother to read every 
page, however.

Wes

> Date sent:      Fri, 31 Oct 1997 11:23:02 -0600 (CST)
> Send reply to:  radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu
> From:           Wes Van Pelt <VanPeltW@idt.net>
> To:             Multiple recipients of list <radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu>
> Subject:        Old Radiation Source

> Fellow Radsafers,
> 
> A collegue found the following when cleaning out some old junk:
> 
> 3 wooden boxes labeled with "Danger Radioactivity"
> 
> The boxes were manufactured by TracerLab Inc, Boston 10, MA. The boxes
> are marked with RA-1 Medical Applicator.
> 
> They checked the boxes with a Ludlum survey meter with pancake probe and
> found nothing above background.  
> 
> Close inspection of the boxes indicates that there is a part -- which
> probably contained the source (whatever it was) -- missing from each of
> the boxes.
> 
> The date on the boxes is 1952.
> 
> My question is: Does anyone know what the radiation source is/was?
> 
> Regards,
> Wes
> -- 
> Wesley R. Van Pelt, Ph.D., CIH, CHP                KF2LG
> President, Van Pelt Associates, Inc.     
> Consulting in radiological health and safety.
> mailto:VanPeltW@IDT.net        
> http://shell.idt.net/~vanpeltw/index.html
> 
*********************************************************************
Wesley M. Dunn, CHP                        512-834-6688
Deputy Director, Licensing                 512-834-6690 (fax)
(Texas) Bureau of Radiation Control        wdunn@brc1.tdh.state.tx.us
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