Uranium exposure at the Grand Canyon

[atomicarcheologist]

https://amp.usatoday.com/amp/2925890002

[ogre77414]

https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2019/02/18/grand-canyon-tourists-exposed-radiation-safety-manager-says/2876435002/


A bucket of uranium was unknowingly stored next to an exhibit that the public would visit. The article stated  "...potential exposures over 1,400 times the NRC's safe level for children, and over 140 times the safe level for adults". 


A slide in the article stated the following
800 mR/hr contact on the sample
280-320 mR/hr contact on the bucket
0 above background 5' from bucket


Also, allegedly some within the responsible organization tried to cover it up

[Marlin]

A bucket of uranium was unknowingly stored next to an exhibit that the public would visit. The article stated  "...potential exposures over 1,400 times the NRC's safe level for children, and over 140 times the safe level for adults". 


A slide in the article stated the following
800 mR/hr contact on the sample
280-320 mR/hr contact on the bucket
0 above background 5' from bucket


Also, allegedly some within the responsible organization tried to cover it up

Can't be uranium the dose rate is too high.

[Mounder]

This will be shredded by everyone:  HPs and HPTs.
The public does not have access inside the cabinets where the bucket is. The outside of the cabinet is as high as 3 mrem/hr per the slide.

" — and children exposed to 4,000 times what is considered safe " per Stephen the OHST...
The article says children could be exposed 4000X over the NRC limit for the public, which the article notes correctly as 100mrem or 2 mrem/hr.
Otherwise,  4000 x 100mrem = 400000 mrem/yr:  this is inconceivable
If someone wants to fine the museum for having levels over 2 mrem/hr inside this location, the slide says the just outside the building are also over 2 mrem/hr.
Child exposures near the cabinets could last up to 30 minutes per the article.
Someone will have fun doing all the back calculations with the true readings, distances and likely exposure points, and putting this over-reaction article to rest.   Go back with some wipes and build a real case.  Probably won't do it either.

[ogre77414]

Can't be uranium the dose rate is too high.

We obviously don't know exactly what was in there.  But based on my experience with new fuel receipt, i thought the numbers seemed odd as well.

[Marlin]

Experts dispute Grand Canyon safety manager's claim that radiation posed risk to public


Little offered a different theory. He and other experts in the Health Physics Society suspect Park Service employees who measured radiation levels near the buckets may have misread the results by a magnitude of 1,000.

Sounds more credible but points off on another statement...

Little and Modi Wetzler, a chemistry professor at Clemson University who studies nuclear waste, said there are three types of radiation, and uranium ore emits only the least-dangerous rays, comprising gamma particles.
Wetzler said gamma rays are hazardous if inhaled or swallowed, but not externally dangerous because they can be absorbed and rendered harmless by a sheet of paper, a few inches of air, or a person’s outer layer of dead skin.


https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/experts-dispute-grand-canyon-safety-managers-claim-that-radiation-posed-risk-to-public/ar-BBTR3vx?OCID=ansmsnnews11

[ogre77414]

Well isn't that special! 
That reminds me of the Amazon Jack Ryan series.  I was really enjoying it until one episode.  In short, a dirty bomb that was entering the US would be "hard to detect because the radiation was from CS-137".  I know its fiction but suspended my disbelief for a good 5 minutes.  That aside, it was still a good watch.

[GLW]

ease off,...

 - uranium ore rocks in three buckets (five gallon buckets),...

 - the dose readings were measured by a teenage son of a park employee who happened to be a Geiger counter enthusiast,...

 - unidentified "technicians" loaded the ore into the back of a pick up truck and drove to an abandoned mine where they dumped the ore into the mine,...

 - OSHA "technicians" could only find trace levels of contamination in the vicinity of where the ore was stored/handled,...

lions and tigers and bears,....

[atomicarcheologist]

I thought this article was the best of what I saw yesterday, tried to post it, still waiting approval under Transportation & Disposal in Nuke News forum.

Experts dispute Grand Canyon safety manager's claim that radiation posed risk to public
https://amp.usatoday.com/amp/2925890002

[GLW]

I thought this article was the best of what I saw yesterday, tried to post it, still waiting approval under Transportation & Disposal in Nuke News forum.

Experts dispute Grand Canyon safety manager's claim that radiation posed risk to public
https://amp.usatoday.com/amp/2925890002

....Stephenson said while he is not a uranium scientist he checked his calculations with experts. Moreover, he noted, National Park employees were fearful enough that they removed the buckets by lifting them with a mop handle, and OSHA technicians wore full protective gear when they visited the building....




and yet not so fearful for the general public as to preclude driving down the highway in an open pick up truck alongside school buses packed with oodles of little childrens peering down into the truck bed and remarking to their little pals "Oh lookee!!!! Shiny rocks!!!",....


unqualified virtue signaller,...


put 'im in jail,...


knowing and willful disregard for public/occupational safety as registered in 49CFR, 29CFR, etc.,...

[Marlin]

ease off,...

 - the dose readings were measured by a teenage son of a park employee who happened to be a Geiger counter enthusiast,...

"Stephenson said the uranium threat was discovered in March 2018 by the teenage son of a park employee who happened to be a Geiger counter enthusiast, and brought a device to the museum collection room"

"Stephenson said specialists apparently had no Geiger counter, so they drove to Utah to pick up a Ludlum meter, which also measures radiation output."

"He said high-level officials in the Park Service developed a "secrecy pact" to conceal radiation exposure data despite his insistence that a "Right to Know" law mandates public disclosure."

""My first interest is the safety of the workers and the people," he added.

Stephenson eventually obtained a report submitted by the Park Service's regional safety manager, confirming the area was "positive for radioactivity above background" and showing high levels near the taxidermy area.

Incompetence and fraud are justified by the fact that they did not realize that there was no public hazard I have to disagree intent makes it an issue to be dealt with.


 

[atomicarcheologist]

"...the Park Service report shows radioactivity at “13.9 mR/hr’’ near the buckets, referring to milliroentgens per hour. While that would be dangerously high, he added, uranium could not possibly cause such a reading.

“It’s not even a regulated material,” Little said, adding that the only danger is if someone swallowed the mineral or inhaled it."

[GLW]

.....Incompetence and fraud are justified by the fact that they did not realize that there was no public hazard I have to disagree intent makes it an issue to be dealt with.....

well that's cause you're softy liberal where being morally right is more important than being factually correct,.....


 


https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2019/02/18/grand-canyon-tourists-exposed-radiation-safety-manager-says/2876435002/


...In a rogue email sent to all Park Service employees on Feb. 4, Elston "Swede" Stephenson — the safety, health and wellness manager — described the alleged cover-up as "a top management failure" and warned of possible health consequences....

....."Respectfully, it was not only immoral not to let Our People know," he added, "but I could not longer risk my (health and safety) certification by letting this go any longer.".....

so, a certified manager neglects to review the appropriate regulations and follow the proscribed actions,....


then, he garners whistler blower status for two obvious (if not yet proven) motives;


reason 1 -


as the Safety, Health and Wellness Manager he totally blew the correct actions, as regulated and proscribed upon discovery of the NORM, TENORM, etc.,....


and those proper actions ARE HIS JOB!!!!!!


and he blew it,....


reason 2 -


whistle blower status makes him untouchable for being a total buck up who oversaw the transport of radioactive materials over public roadways in violation of law, failed to secure the scene such that properly regulated recovery actions and accurate dose reconstruction could be implemented,...


as I typed earlier,....

unqualified virtue signaller,...

[Marlin]

well that's cause you're softy liberal where being morally right is more important than being factually correct,.....


 


https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2019/02/18/grand-canyon-tourists-exposed-radiation-safety-manager-says/2876435002/


...In a rogue email sent to all Park Service employees on Feb. 4, Elston "Swede" Stephenson — the safety, health and wellness manager — described the alleged cover-up as "a top management failure" and warned of possible health consequences....

....."Respectfully, it was not only immoral not to let Our People know," he added, "but I could not longer risk my (health and safety) certification by letting this go any longer.".....

so, a certified manager neglects to review the appropriate regulations and follow the proscribed actions,....


then, he garners whistler blower status for two obvious (if not yet proven) motives;


reason 1 -


as the Safety, Health and Wellness Manager he totally blew the correct actions, as regulated and proscribed upon discovery of the NORM, TENORM, etc.,....


and those proper actions ARE HIS JOB!!!!!!


and he blew it,....


reason 2 -


whistle blower status makes him untouchable for being a total buck up who oversaw the transport of radioactive materials over public roadways in violation of law, failed to secure the scene such that properly regulated recovery actions and accurate dose reconstruction could be implemented,...


as I typed earlier,....
 

You can't be serious!!! Is your brain engaged??? I was calling for consequences not "easing up" as you did.

Hopefully you are just    as usual as your response makes no sense.


 

[atomicarcheologist]

All this hoopla over a little dose. Makes me wonder how I ever made it out of childhood alive.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoe-fitting_fluoroscope

[GLW]

You can't be serious!!! Is your brain engaged??? I was calling for consequences not "easing up" as you did.

Hopefully you are just    as usual as your response makes no sense.


 

why use emoticons if the recipient ignores them,....

 

are you just looking to be offended?!?!?!?


 

[Marlin]

https://amp.usatoday.com/amp/2925890002

"Corrections & Clarifications: A previous version of this story misstated the primary type of radioactive particles emitted by uranium. It emits almost exclusively alpha particles."

Still got part of it wrong as there would be almost no dose rate at all out side the buckets. 

[Bonds 25]

Was it a bucket of Uranium-235!!!

The 300-400 mrem a year from background, that's mighty fine and safe.....but if the public gets another 100 mrem on top of that OHHH MY GOD!!!!! The 100 mrem annual limit for public is a laughable (Idiotic) regulation. This article shows why. 

Man, look at how amazing the shape of that McMeter is!!!

Also, reading that dissolved a good amount of IQ points from my brain....and I cannot afford that.

[Bonds 25]

"Little and Modi Wetzler, a chemistry professor at Clemson University who studies nuclear waste, said there are three types of radiation, and uranium ore emits almost exclusively the least-dangerous alpha particles"

Neutron Radiation....always the redheaded stepchild who is left out of family time.

"For example, the Park Service report shows radioactivity at “13.9 mR/hr’’ near the buckets, referring to milliroentgens per hour. While that would be dangerously high"

How about a little context with that "dangerously high" name drop......

[atomicarcheologist]

Why was this split from the original thread?

[Marlin]

I was wondering why myself I will merge them.

[GLW]

Why was this split from the original thread?

I was wondering why myself I will merge them.

[Marlin]

[fiveeleven]

That place looks familiar. I may have stayed there at VC Summer in 84. As a wise man once stated - It doesnt really matter how radiation interacts with matter until it does matter and then it can matter a lot. Hopefully the vessels did not contain any road salt along with the yellow cake.

[SloGlo]

http://talknuclear.ca/2014/08/just-how-radioactive-is-uranium-ore/