Re: Co-60 Chemical Comp.

[The Turners <dwturners@earthlink.net>]

Thirty years ago we used to make high specific activity cobalt-60 for the
Navy at GE Vallecitos.  The cobalt was pure metal in cylindrical pieces
less tha .5mm x.5mm.  These were encapsulated in aluminum canisters and
then shuttled thru the reactor core until the desired activity was
attained.  One or more of the canisters leaked and Co-60 entered to reactor
cooling system and was very difficult to collect.  Other canisters were
repackaged in the hot cells and some of the tiny pellets fell between the
cell floor seams into the basement.  I remember checking for these with a
teletector and collecting these with a magnet on a pole.  Dose rates were
extremely high (10 minute stay times) and the pellets were esentially
invisible to the naked eye.

You might want to find out who manufactured your source and get some
manufacturing information.  You could be opening up Pandora's box. 

Doug Turner <dwturners@earthlink.net>

At 09:11 AM 7/16/98 -0500, you wrote:
>Radsafers,
>
>We have a Co-60 pipe source that we are moving.  It has been inside 
>another canister, aluminum we think,  for the past 30 years.  We need 
>to remove it from this canister in order to transfer it to another 
>shielded container.  
>
>Does anyone have information as to the chemical composition of the 
>Co-59 when it is irradiated to make Co-60?  Is it pure Co-59 or a 
>mixture of metals?  Should we expect to see some oxidation? 
>("flaking" and potential contamination &/or airborne concerns)    
>
>Any references or information would be appreciated.
>Feel free to reply directly to me.
>Thank you in advance for your help.
>
>Regards,
>Patrick J. McDermott
>
>Patrick J. McDermott
>Rutgers Envir. Health & Safety
>Rutgers, The State University
>24 Street 1603
>Bldg 4127 Livingston Campus
>Piscataway, NJ 08854-8036
>(p) 732-445-2550 (f) 732-445-3109
>e-mail: mcdermot@rehs.rutgers.edu
>
>