Radioactivity on Rails -Reply

["ANTHONY F. ARMAGNO" <ARMAGAF@GWSMTP.NU.COM>]

you wrote:

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Anthony F. (Tony) Armagno
Northeast Utilities Millstone Station
Tele: (860) 437-2519
E-Mail: armagaf@gwsmtp.nu.com
According to Steven Wright:  Black Holes are where GOD divided by Zero!

>>> "Otto G. Raabe" <ograabe@ucdavis.edu> 01/15/98 12:09pm >>>
January 15, 1998
Davis, CA

A local controversy is brewing here in northern California concerning the
plan by the U.S. Department of Energy to ship spent nuclear fuel rods from
foreign research reactors through San Francisco and by rail to Idaho
National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory using Type B shipping
casks. Each shipping cask holds approximately 112 fuel rods. There are five
separate shipments planned over 10-13 years for a total of about one metric
ton of used fuel.

I need the following information:

(1) What is the availability of a video tape describing the safety of use
of these casks for such shipments?

(2) What dose rates would be expected to be associated with these used fuel
rods if they were unshielded?

(3) What radionuclides could conceivably be released to the environment if
the casks are breached in an inconceivably major accident during transport?

Thanks....

Otto
		*****************************************************
		Prof. Otto G. Raabe, Ph.D., CHP
                [President, Health Physics Society, 1997-1998]
		Institute of Toxicology & Environmental Health (ITEH)
		     (Street address: Old Davis Road)
		University of California, Davis, CA 95616
		Phone: 530-752-7754  FAX: 530-758-6140 [NEW AREA CODE]
		E-mail ograabe@ucdavis.edu

Otto,
    I vaguely remember seeing a video produced about how LILCo. shipped their
mildly irradiated fuel from Shoreham.  The video included how the PR was
handled.  It was quite a good production, if memory serves me.