Bugs May Spread Radioactivity (Hanford)

["Sandy Perle" <sandyfl@earthlink.net>]

Anyone have a large can of RAID :>

Wednesday October 7 10:15 PM EDT 

RICHLAND, Wash. (AP) _ Insects ranging from fruit flies to gnats 
and ants may be spreading radioactive contamination
among offices and shops at the Hanford nuclear reservation.

Thirteen different spots on the reservation have been contaminated. 
The source has not been determined, but bugs are believed
to be part of the problem.

``We're very concerned about this,'' Ron Hanson, Fluor Daniel 
Hanford president, said Tuesday. He said finding the source of
the radiation has taken longer than expected.

No workers are believed to have received a dose of radiation from 
the contamination. An ironworker was found to have
radiation on a boot and socks in his laundry hamper at home.

About 10 acres with office buildings and trailers have been closed 
to workers because of spot contamination.

Additionally, wet garbage in bins and garbage cans tested positive 
for radiation Tuesday. The worst spot found Tuesday was
inside the roped-off area in wet garbage where flies and gnats had 
been. It measured 10 to 12 millirads per hour _ about the
same dose of radiation in a dental X-ray.

Hanford for more than 40 years made plutonium for nuclear 
weapons. The 560-square-mile reservation now contains the
nation's largest volume of radioactive waste from nuclear weapons. 

------------------
Sandy Perle
Technical Director
ICN Dosimetry Division
ICN Plaza
3300 Hyland Avenue
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Office: (800) 548-5100 x2306 
Fax:    (714) 668-3149
  
sandyfl@earthlink.net
sperle@icnpharm.com

ICN Dosimetry Website:
http://www.dosimetry.com

Personal Website:
http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/1205

"The object of opening the mind, as of opening 
the mouth, is to close it again on something solid"
              - G. K. Chesterton -

The opinions expressed are solely, absolutely, positively, definitely those of the author, and NOT my employer
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