Retention and Subsequent Release of Radioactivity from the Incineration of Wastes Containing Microspheres
Public Deposited- Last Modified
- February 28, 2019
- Creator
-
Emery, Robert J.
- Affiliation: Gillings School of Global Public Health, Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering
- Abstract
- Incineration has been chosen as the preferred method for disposing of animal carcasses containing radioactive microspheres at East Carolina University. Routine surveys of ash from successive non-radioactive burns have shown significant contamination from previously incinerated microspheres. Past studies on microsphere incineration quantified the amount of activity retained in ash, but did not address any subsequent releases. This topic was not considered in earlier studies because, in most cases, the carcasses were placed in some type of container to facilitate recovery of ash, preventing contamination of the incinerator refractory. Five sets of controlled burns were performed to quantify the subsequent releases of the microsphere radioisotopes Ce-141, Sn-113, Ru-103, Nb-95, and Sc-46. Each set consisted of three successive burns. The first burn of each set incinerated a non-radioactive carcass, the second burn, a radioactive carcass, and the third, a non-radioactive carcass. In all of the burns, the carcasses were placed directly on the incinerator refractory floor, as is the standard procedure during normal operations. The data collected document that significant subsequent releases of activity from the refractory do occur. This results in contamination of ash from non-radioactive burns. The actual amount of activity released varies with each isotope. These findings have caused East Carolina University to re-evaluate the quantities of radioactivity which may be burned, and to initiate a program to monitor all incinerator ash for gamma emitting radionuclides.
- Date of publication
- January 1989
- DOI
- Resource type
- Rights statement
- In Copyright
- Advisor
- Watson, James E.
- Turner, Alvis G.
- Sprau, Daniel D.
- Degree
- Master of Science in Public Health
- Academic concentration
- Industrial Hygiene
- Degree granting institution
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Graduation year
- 1989
- Language
- Deposit record
- ad7e9272-7c4f-43e0-afeb-7a5f2526ad76
Relations
- Parents:
This work has no parents.