Barish Robert J
In-Flight Radiation Protection Services, Inc., 211 E. 70th St., Ste. 12G, New York, NY 10021, USA.
Health Phys. 2006 Nov;91(5 Suppl):S74-7. doi: 10.1097/01.HP.0000234041.33370.c3.
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (U.S. NRC) will soon publish a proposed amendment to its rules that will classify the naturally occurring isotope Ra as "byproduct material" subject to its regulatory control. One of the uses of radium in the first half of the twentieth century was as a source of energy that would make certain consumer products "glow in the dark." In addition to wristwatches and other timepieces, this form of self-luminescence was widely used on aircraft instruments. There have been a number of facilities where large numbers of such instruments were stored and leakage of this isotope occurred. Subsequent decontamination of these areas, including expensive disposal of the radioactive waste, was required. We were asked to evaluate the potential hazards of aircraft and aircraft instruments at a museum in New York City, specifically the decommissioned aircraft carrier USS Intrepid. We present the results of our investigation and discuss the implications as they relate to the proposed new U.S. NRC regulations and compatibility issues with State regulations.
美国核管理委员会（U.S. NRC）即将发布一项规则修正案提案，该提案将把天然存在的同位素镭归类为“副产品材料”，并对其进行监管控制。在20世纪上半叶，镭的用途之一是作为一种能源，使某些消费品“在黑暗中发光”。除了手表和其他计时工具外，这种自发光形式还广泛应用于飞机仪表。有许多储存大量此类仪表的设施，并且发生了这种同位素的泄漏。随后需要对这些区域进行去污处理，包括对放射性废物进行昂贵的处置。我们受委托评估纽约市一家博物馆内飞机及飞机仪表的潜在危害，特别是已退役的航空母舰“无畏号”（USS Intrepid）。我们展示了调查结果，并讨论了这些结果与美国核管理委员会拟议的新法规以及与州法规的兼容性问题相关的影响。
