Radioactive contamination defined

Biotic Transport Biotic transport can be defined as the actions of plants and animals that result in the transport of a radioactive material or other substance from a waste site to locations where it can enter pathways that may result in exposure to humans. Small mammals are ubiquitous and inhabit areas containing radioactive contamination or radioactive waste sites. Mammals inhabiting these areas may become contaminated with americium by consuming contaminated soil or plants and disturb americium-contaminated soil through their burrowing and excavating activities. These animals may therefore affect the distribution of americium within the waste site or transport americium to previously uncontaminated areas. In addition, small mammals may be consumed by animals higher in the food chain such as hawks and coyotes, which would add to the dispersal of americium from disposal areas. However, results of... 

Before carrying out such determinations in an attempt to estimate the number of active centers correctly, it has been necessary to define the magnitude of the eventual radioactive contaminations of the polymers, caused by phenomena extraneous to the polymerization process. 

Radiological warfare(RW) may be defined as the employment of agents or weapons to produce residual radioactive contamination,as distinguished from the initial effects of a nuclear explosionfblast, thermal, and initial nuclear radiation) defense against such warfare (Ref 12,p 233)... 

Access between the two appropriately labeled radiation areas should be restricted, in order to avoid contaminating the low-level area. In laboratories where both hot and cold operations are being performed in a small amount of space, it is important to set up well-defined and clearly labeled radioactive material work stations. In this way, radionuclide analysis is confined so that its impact on the surrounding laboratory is minimal. The presence of radiation throughout the laboratory should be monitored as discussed below. 

A radiation threat, commonly referred to as a "dirty bomb" or "radiological dispersion device (RDD) , is the use of common explosives to spread radioactive materials over a targeted area. It is not a nuclear blast. The force of the explosion and radioactive contamination will be more localized. While the blast will be immediately obvious, the presence of radiation will not be clearly defined until trained personnel with specialized equipment are on the scene. As with any radiation, you want to try to limit exposure. 

Recently, DOD Usted 400 atomic weapon test sites. The author does not know if this Ust includes all atomic weapon storage facilities or ocean dumpsites. Although the cleanup of nuclear facilities is a function of the Department of Energy (states and local government entities only have authority over medical radioactivity), locating and defining radioactive contamination is still a proper role for these entities. 

The basement floor plan for the facility is depicted in Figure 2.4-1. A three zone confinement and filtered ventilation system is used to control migration of radioactive contaminants in the basement processing areas. These zones are defined as follows ... 

The U.S. NEC s reluctance at this time to establish a national policy that defines the de minimis level of contamination for all types of laboratory radioactive waste, below which the risk to health and the environment is not significant. 

The KamLAND detector, shown in Figure 5, consists of a sphere of liquid scintillator, surrounded by neutron and gamma ray absorbing buffers made of liquid paraffin and water. The liquid scintillator is enclosed in a transparent nylon composite balloon that has low permeability to radon, a background-generating contaminant. The total mass of liquid scintillator is 1000 tons, filling a sphere with a radius of about 6.3 m. A 500 ton fiducial spherical volume is defined within the main volume to help reduce backgrounds from photomultiplier tubes and from external radioactive decay sources. The liquid parafrin buffer is enclosed in a spherical stainless steel vessel, which is in turn surrounded by a water Cerenkov veto counter. The entire detector is shielded by a rock overburden of 2700 meters of water equivalent (m.w.e.). 

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