ASTSWMO Midyear Meeting
Los Angeles, CA
Radiation Focus Group
R di i F
G
April 28, 2010
“Common sense is the collection of prejudices
collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen.”
acquired by age eighteen.
Albert Einstein
Objectives
 Recognize radiation trefoil
 Learn where radiation comes from and what it is, naturally occurring and from the nuclear fuel cycle ll i d f
h l f l l and accelerators, and x‐rays
 Learn common uses of radioactive materials
 Recognize some industrial radioactive sources
 Proper disposition and recycling overview
 Consequences of lost sources and legacy sites
 Questions
Radiation Trefoil
 New Trefoil has intuitive message, via International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) ISO 21482, 2007, very 4
7
y
dangerous sealed sources
 Old Trefoil has no inherent message, but h
b
still valid on lesser sources
Photograph
from public
right of way
next to SWASA
6 and White
Oak Creek,
y 2002.
July
Hunh? What
did you say
that sign said?
R di i i E
Radiation is Energy
Microwaves
Mi
Infrared (heat)
Ultraviolet (UV) radiation
Ionizing radiation
Visible Light
Radiation Basics
 An unstable or radioactive nucleus will release excess energy by emitting particles or electromagnetic radiation radiation.  The instability of a radionuclide's nucleus may result from an excess of either neutrons or protons. An p
unstable nucleus will continually vibrate and contort and, sooner or later, attempt to reach stability
I t
Isotopes
Radiation cont.
 The common forms of radiation that may be emitted include:
 alpha (α) particles,  beta (β) particles, and  gamma (γ) radiation or photons.
Radiation Alpha Decay
Helium without electrons squirts out, 2 protons and 2 neutrons together
Heavy
High Kinetic g
Energy
+2 Charge
Radiation Beta Decay
Radiation Beta Decay
A proton converts into a neutron in the nucleus and the balance of energy is emitted as a Beta Particle, ‐1 Charge ( electron ) and an (“electron”) and an invisible neutrino
β
Gamma
X Rays
UV
Visible
Infrared
Radiation Gamma Emission
Radar
Radio, TV
Radiation Penetration
B k
d R di ti
Background Radiation
Radioactive materials are all around us every day.
y y
B k
d R di ti
Background Radiation
Radon
B k
d R di ti
Background Radiation
Radon
Cosmic
B k
d R di ti
Background Radiation
Radon
Terrestrial
Cosmic
B k
d R di ti
Background Radiation
Internal
Radon
Terrestrial
Cosmic
B k
d R di ti
Background Radiation
Medical
Internal
Radon
Terrestrial
Cosmic
B k
d R di ti
Background Radiation
Medical
Consumer Products
Internal
Radon
Terrestrial
Cosmic
B k
d R di ti
Background Radiation
Medical
Nuclear Medicine 4%
Consumer Products 3%
Other 1%
Xrays 11%
11%
54%
Internal
Radon
8%
Terrestrial
8%
Cosmic
Radon
222
 Radon
Radon‐222
 Gas
 Results from decay of naturally occurring thorium
T
i l (f
h E h) R di i
Terrestrial (from the Earth) Radiation
 Rocks and Soils
 Uranium  Thorium
 Radium
 Many others
Internal Radioactive Materials
Internal Radioactive Materials
 Uranium
 Thorium
 Radium
 Potassium‐40
 Hydrogen‐3 (Tritium)
Hydrogen 3 (Tritium)
 Others
Radiation in Medicine
Radiation in Medicine
 Xrays used in medicine X
d i di i are machine produced
Nuclear Medicine
– Technetium
Technetium‐‐99
– Iodine
Iodine‐‐131
– Cobalt
Cobalt‐‐60
Using small “seed”
sources to treat
Using small seed sources to treat prostate cancer
Consumer Products
Consumer Products
 Smoke Detectors
 Americium‐241
 Lantern mantles
 Thorium‐228
 Exit Signs
g
 Hydrogen‐3 (Tritium)
Other Common Uses of Radioactive Materials
 Gauges
 Cesium‐137
 Americium‐241 and Beryllium
 Research Isotopes
 Phosphorus‐32
Ph
h
 Hydrogen‐3 (Tritium)
What is Half‐life?
a
e s t e a ou t o t e t ta es o a
Half‐life is the amount of time it takes for a radioactive material to decay to half of its radioactivity.
Radioactive (unstable) atoms
What is Half‐life?
a
e s t e a ou t o t e t ta es o a
Half‐life is the amount of time it takes for a radioactive material to decay to half of its radioactivity.
Non‐radioactive (stable) atoms
1 h lf lif
half‐life
Radioactive (unstable) atoms
What is Half‐life?
a
e s t e a ou t o t e t ta es o a
Half‐life is the amount of time it takes for a radioactive material to decay to half of it’s radioactivity.
Non‐radioactive (stable) atoms
2 h lf li
half‐lives
Radioactive (unstable) atoms
What is Half‐life?
a
e s t e a ou t o t e t ta es o a
Half‐life is the amount of time it takes for a radioactive material to decay to half of its radioactivity.
Non‐radioactive (stable) atoms
3 h lf li
half‐lives
Radioactive (
(unstable) atoms
)
What is Half‐life?
a
e s t e a ou t o t e t ta es o a
Half‐life is the amount of time it takes for a radioactive material to decay to half of its radioactivity.
Non‐radioactive (stable) atoms
4 h lf li
half‐lives
Radioactive (unstable) atoms
What is Half‐life?
a
e s t e a ou t o t e t ta es o a
Half‐life is the amount of time it takes for a radioactive material to decay to half of its radioactivity.
Non‐radioactive (stable) atoms
5 h lf li
half‐lives
R di ti Radioactive (unstable) atoms
What is Half‐life?
a
e s t e a ou t o t e t ta es o a
Half‐life is the amount of time it takes for a radioactive material to decay to half of its radioactivity.
Non‐radioactive (stable) atoms
6
h lf li
half‐lives
Radioactive (unstable)
atoms
What is Half‐life?
a
e s t e a ou t o t e t ta es o a
Half‐life is the amount of time it takes for a radioactive material to decay to half of its radioactivity.
Non‐radioactive (stable) atoms
7 h lf li
half‐lives
Radioactive
What is Half‐life?
a
e s t e a ou t o t e t ta es o a
Half‐life is the amount of time it takes for a radioactive material to decay to half of its radioactivity.
Non‐radioactive (stable) atoms
8 h lf li
half‐lives
What is Half‐life?
a
e s t e a ou t o t e t ta es o a
Half‐life is the amount of time it takes for a radioactive material to decay to half of its radioactivity.
Non‐radioactive (stable) atoms
9 h lf li
half‐lives
What is Half‐life?
a
e s t e a ou t o t e t ta es o a
Half‐life is the amount of time it takes for a radioactive material to decay to half of its radioactivity.
Non‐radioactive (stable) atoms
10 h lf li
half‐lives
Length of Half life Varies Widely
Length of Half‐life Varies Widely
Isotope
Use
Half
Half--life
Technetium--99m Medical studies
Technetium
6 hours
C i -137
CesiumCesium
I di t
Irradiators
30 years
Radium--226
Radium
Naturally occurring
1622 years
Carbon--14
Carbon
Naturally occurring –
Also used in Research
5730 years
Plutonium--239
Plutonium
Nuclear Weapons
24065 years
Uranium--238
Uranium
Naturally occurring
4.5 billion years
Thorium--232
Thorium
Naturally occurring
13.9 billion years
Radiation, Decay
 A radioactive nucleus (radionuclide) may go through a single to many steps or decay transitions until the nucleus reaches stability.
nucleus reaches stability
 This series of steps is called a decay chain.
 The steps give off ionizing radiation generally with characteristic energies
AD
A Decay Chain
Uranium 238
“Depleted Uranium”
DU Tank Round and A10 Warthog
and A10 Warthog Rounds
Sabot separating from DU
Sabot separating from DU penetrator, shot from a tank
Rad. in the Lab
Check Sources
Sealed Industrial Sources without
Sealed Industrial Sources without legible labels and trefoil
POPULAR NATIVE AMERICAN POSTER
http://www orau org/ptp/museumdirectory htm
http://www.orau.org/ptp/museumdirectory.htm
Dr. Paul Frame and his famous museum of radiation stuff