Re: Radon Control During Remediation

["Franz Schoenhofer" <schoenho@via.at>]

Schoenhofer
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A-1160 Wien
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> Von: Chris Alston <alstonc@odrge.odr.georgetown.edu>
> An: Multiple recipients of list <radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu>
> Betreff: Re: Radon Control During Remediation
> Datum: Donnerstag, 08. Jänner 1998 19:17
> 
> It's not clear why radon should be an issue in connection with the
handling
> of DU. Du is essentially U238 and its first two daughters, Th234 and
Pa234.
> If you take a look at the decay series, you'll see that the next daughter
is
> U234 @ t1/2= 2.5E5y. The next is Th230 @ 8E4y. Only then do we come to
Ra226
> @ 1602y. There hasn't been time for ingrowth of the Rn producer. Am I
> missing something here?
> 
> chris alston
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No, you did not miss anything and your arguing is correct. But I want to
point out that the misunderstanding regarding radon from processed uranium
is quite common. I even met somebody who claimed that radon and its
daughterproducts from a uranium salt had contaminated his laboratory. I was
close to believe him in the first moment......

Franz