Nuclear Waste Taints St. Louis Suburb

[Marlin]

Nuclear Waste Taints St. Louis Suburb

http://www.wsj.com/articles/nuclear-waste-taints-st-louis-suburb-1440361689?tesla=y

[Mounder]

I wonder if they're cleaning at the 5 pCi/g threshold or do they have some lower value that will have them chasing their tail with the natural Th everywhere....

[Bonds 25]

Oh God no!! Not RADIOACTIVE Thorium!!!

[OldHP]

I wonder if they're cleaning at the 5 pCi/g threshold or do they have some lower value that will have them chasing their tail with the natural Th everywhere....

They have been chasing their tail for many years now!  I really don't know if they did a very good average area background survey or just selected a number.  But then, that's the COE!    

[fiveeleven]

Looks like fairly close proximity to Ferguson. With all the Pb laying around down there, could be contributing to the background levels. Sounds like a few good men need to head down to Ferguson with friskers and Uzis.

[atomicarcheologist]

Oh God no!! Not RADIOACTIVE Thorium!!!

Just another fuel laying around in the populace. Who has the contract?

[Marlin]

Oh God no!! Not RADIOACTIVE Thorium!!!

   Detectable levels of tritium have caused heart ache for power plants with detectable levels below release limits to put this in perspective release limit in air for tritium is 1E-7 uc/ml, thorium-232 is 4E-15 uc/ml and thorium 230 is 2E-14 uc/ml. Plutonium-239 is 2E-14. I worked a DOE project that cleaned up an old thorium warehouse it was normal to see hundreds of DAC and occasionally thousands, the filter from the continuous air monitor read an mr or two and up to a rad beta at the end of the day.

   In the public arena such as this though even with very low amounts the problem becomes perception of risk by the public wether tritium or iodine from a power plant or thorium from DOE weapons process.

[GLW]

 .......to put this in perspective release......

discussing perspective on a nuke clean up is as bad as herding cats,....

[Marlin]

discussing perspective on a nuke clean up is as bad as herding cats,....

...agree, but then that is the problem for clean up sites that think they are done and the stakeholders are not satisfied. Also dealing with the public that is awash in hollywood interpretation of radiation. It is good if it is a radioactive spider from a lab but bad if it is from a corporation or defense contractor.

 

[Mounder]

It's possible that the COE didn't care if a low DCGL was agreed upon.  They can chase after this stuff and pump some tax dollars into the region. It's working welfare.  Politicians can then take credit for the cleanup and the fact that they brought in jobs.  Happens all the time.