[R-390] Where did the Julian Creek receivers come from?

[Tisha Hayes]

"Someone had a bright idea the meters could be separated from the receivers
and a lot of scrap sold and thus would not need to be disposed of (buried)
as hazardous waste."

I have a funny story about that. I used to be a FEMA certified Radiological
Instructor III and taught classes for EMA organizations. As part of one of
the classes I would hide .5 uCi cobalt 60 sources in a room and send in
students to map the radiation sources. This was to teach the grid search
technique and how to work as a team. At the end of the exercise the team
would provide me with a map of where they thought the sources were located.
I had five training source capsules and had hidden them well... One team
reported six sources. I had to check this out...

What they ended up mapping was an old boat-anchor military radio that had
the lettering and knobs painted with radium paint. This thing was stored in
a wooden cabinet that I was unaware of. It was putting out nearly as much
gamma/beta radiation as a check-source. It was quite neat.

As long as you do not grind the stuff into dust and either eat or snort it
into your nose these types of sources are not a problem. There are many more
things that pose a greater radiation risk. The same folks who get all in a
knot about radioactive meters have a half-dozen smoke detectors with
americium sources, fiestaware dishes with uranium paint, an old Wesclox
alarm clock with the radium facepaint or live in an area were there is a lot
of granite with radium gas.

Ms. Tisha Hayes/ AA4HA
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"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are
willing to work and give to those who would not."
- Thomas Jefferson