RE: Uranium diffusion plants: Environment & occupational health

["Weiner, Ruth" <rfweine@sandia.gov>]

The most important environmental aspect is probably electricity consumption
-- the gaseous diffusion process is very energy intensive.  Other
environmental aspects are those of any heavy industrial chemical processing
facility, although the plants  have no particular hazardous effluent.

The occupational hazards are chemical, rather than radiological.  Like any
fluoride, uranium hexafluoride is nasty, corrosive stuff, with a relatively
high vapor pressure.  It reacts quickly with water in the air to produce a
fine corrosive powder.  USEC puts out a handbook on how to handle uranium
hexafluoride that is very thorough.  The radiological hazard is negligible
compared to the chemical hazards.

Clearly only my own opinion.

Ruth F. Weiner, Ph. D.
Sandia National Laboratories 
MS 0718, POB 5800
Albuquerque, NM 87185-0718
505-844-4791; fax 505-844-0244
rfweine@sandia.gov



-----Original Message-----
From: Björn" Cedervall [mailto:bjorn_cedervall@hotmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, June 30, 1999 4:59 AM
To: Multiple recipients of list
Subject: Uranium diffusion plants: Environment & occupational health


Wonder if anyone "out there" could help me to sort out the most important 
environmental as well as occupational health aspects of uranium diffusion 
plants (besides that relating indirectly to the energy consumption). I guess

that many aspects may not relate to radioactivity at all. Comments, number 
or references would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for any such 
responses.

bjorn_cedervall@hotmail.com


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