nationwide warning / radiation exposure

A nationwide warning was issued yesterday, cautioning granite fabricators about radiation exposure during granite fabrication. The warning went to radiation protection offices in all 50 states, EPA, OSHA, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

The letter informs agencies that granite fabricators, shaping granite counter tops for homes, can be exposed to more radiation than workers in nuclear power plants. The crux of the matter is radioactive dust inhaled into the lung. Alpha radiation is far more harmful inside the lung than outside the body. A trio of individuals from different professions brought the issue to light. Each member of the small team played a crucial role in the discovery. It was truly a case of the whole being greater than the sum of the parts. Oklahoma City cabinetmaker, Al Gerhart, first raised the question of radiation exposure during granite fabrication. Granite contains small amounts of uranium. Gerhart was concerned about exposures he and his employees might experience in his shop. Gerhart tried unsuccessfully to get assistance from his state radiation protection office or from OSHA. San Jose industrial hygienist, Linda Kincaid, discovered radioactive granite in the homes of clients and in granite showrooms. Intrigued by the question of occupational exposure to uranium dust, she offered pro bono services to local granite shops. Not a single shop allowed her to measure the dust their workers breathe. The crucial data came from Al Gerhart’s shop in Oklahoma City, using radioactive granite removed from the home of one of Kincaid’s California clients. After extensive laboratory tests on the samples, Gerhart ground the granite using typical fabrication tools and techniques. Linda Kincaid collected airborne dust samples according to standard industrial hygiene protocols. Laboratory analyses proved those dust samples contained more uranium than a worker should breathe. Salt Lake City health physicist, Dave Bernhardt, explained that uranium was not the only radioactive isotope in the dust. Granite dust also contains uranium’s radioactive “daughter products”. The cumulative radiation dose was considerably greater than the Nuclear Regulatory Commission would allow. Bernhardt collected and organized extensive information about granite fabrication processes, and then he brought that information to the appropriate authorities. Thanks to the teamwork of these three professionals, a warning was issued yesterday. Gerhart tests all granite before it comes into his shop, and he refuses to fabricate any granite that emits more than three times background radiation. He encourages other shops to do the same.)


http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/woalert_read.php?glide=HZ-20090627-22132-USA&cat=dis&lang=eng