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Evaluation of Hydrogel Technologies for the Decontamination of 137Cs from Building Material Surfaces
Citation:
U.S. EPA. Evaluation of Hydrogel Technologies for the Decontamination of 137Cs from Building Material Surfaces. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-17/035, 2017.
Impact/Purpose:
A radiological incident can disperse radioactive material over a large geographic area. All surfaces and environmental media where the dispersed material settles would become contaminated. Radioactive material could also be deposited on exterior surfaces such as sidewalks, roofs, streets, sides of buildings, vehicles and equipment, and on interior surfaces via ventilation systems, open doors and windows, and pedestrian tracking. Surface deposits such as fine particulate matter may be removed easily or may adhere to surfaces. Loose surface contamination could be resuspended, transported, and redeposited elsewhere by physical interaction, wind, or precipitation. This current research effort was developed to evaluate intermediate level (between bench-scale and large-scale or wide-area implementation) decontamination procedures, materials, technologies, and techniques used to remove radioactive material from different surfaces. In the event of such an incident, application of this technology would primarily be intended for decontamination of high-value buildings, important infrastructure, and landmarks.
Description:
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