Nor Environmental located in North Bay, Ontario, Canada. is a environmentally responsible company working within a newly recognized area of expertise (in Canada). Mr. Brown and his radiation safety staff adhere to all American Association of Radon Scientists and Technologists (AARST) , Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Atomic Energy Control Board (AECB) protocols and standards for the detection, evaluation, remediation, and laboratory analysis of Radioactive material (natural and industrial).

Industrial Radiation and Environmental Radiation Source Overview

It is important to realize from the outset that Ionizing Radiation is a very serious health hazard. Ionizing Radiation can dramatically increase the risk of contracting different types of cancers. The key is exposure time and strength of the source you, your employees, or your family are exposed to.

What is low level radioactive material or waste?

Low Level Radioactive Material or LLRM can be any Tool (material) or piece of equipment that emits ionizing radiation for the purpose of measuring, sensing, or regulating an industrial process.

Low Level Radioactive Waste or LLRW would be any radioactive residue or result from that process. Whether it is an intentional result or not.

LLRM's are utilized in many industries every day. With the requirement for greater sensitivity and accuracy industries are finding more uses for radioactive sources at every turn.

Some of the fields that utilize Low Level Radioactive Materials are. General industry and manufacturing, mining, medicine, science, agriculture, hydrology, geophysics, the environmental fields, and food preservation.

Uses for LLRM in industry and mining include tracer elements in the oil, gas, petrochemical, building materials, ore processing, pulp and paper, iron, steel, non-ferris metals, automotive industries. in these industries radioactive sources are used to determine thickness, density, leaks,speed of the process, and in many other facets. LLRM's are also utilized for process investigation (ensure every thing is working correctly,) to check mixing processes, to determine maintenance requirements and check wear and corrosion. Many Radioactive tracers have a very short or specific decay periodto ensure that when the process is complete we don't end-up with radioactive waste instead of the intended product. The thicker or denser the solution the stronger the tracer source must be to be detected.

LLRM's are also used in many instruments and sensors. Ionizing radiation has the ability to penetrate matter, measurements can be made without direct physical contact with the material being measured. On line measurements of moving material can be made; measurement is nondestructive, the stability of the source is excellent , little maintenance is required and excellent cost/ benefit ratio's can be achieved.

Radiation in manufacturing; Radiation can induce certain desired chemical reactions for example, in the making of plastics and grafting of plastic to other materials. LLRM's are utilized in some polymers where cross-linkage is induced by radiation, they can then be tailored to shrink when heated (a desirable property in some packaging applications).

We more readily identify radioactive sources being utilized in Medicine and Science. Some of the uses in medicine are the same as industry, ie tracer sources. These are obviously far weaker and short lived sources used to trace specific functions or reactions in the body. There are also many types of radiation (X-ray) therapy utilized. In science radioactive sources of all strengths are used. They assist in investigation of many diseases and scientific processes including DNA testing and genetic investigation.

In Hydrology which is water resource field LLRM is used in instruments and as tracers for investigation of ground and surface water technologies in at least 85 countries.

The Geophysics and dating fields utilized LLRM's in areas such as; Gamma-ray spectomitry, gamma-ray scattering and to detect pulsed neutrons and radon.

Radioactive material is utilized in the exploration of rock, soil, biology, and water. Natural radioactive materials play an important part in geology. There are 19 different elements which have 45 naturally occurring radioactive isotopes, all of which are in minerals and can be used for assessment of a samples age and properties. One can measure density, porosity, chemical elements and establish lithology. Hydrogen containing strata, when water or oil are present can be identified by the strong absorption of neutrons. Isotope dating methods are in a field that is constantly gaining importance as measuring methods are refined, an example of this is Carbon -14 testing.

Agricultural research: Isotopes and radiation play a part in so many fields and in so many ways that it is difficult to obtain a proper picture of their enormous importance. Radioactive Material is used in the areas of crop production, agrochemicals, mutation, animal production and insect control. These methods are a key to increasing and sustaining many world agricultural industries but in particular the third world.

The Forestry/paper and printing industries make extensive use of electron beam radiation to cure surface coatings.

The Environmental industries use many very sensitive radioactive isotope instruments to evaluate pollution in water, soil, and, the atmosphere. The enormous quantity of isotopic data of various types accumulated world wide demonstrates that environmental isotopes are a powerful tool to investigate climate and the environment.

Food Preservation is one of the newest fields where radiation is utilized. Many countries use irradiation to control problems like insect infestations and parasites, shelf life (delaying rot). Many countries like Canada are very limited in the foods and produce that they irradiate (in Canada it is only spices, potatoes, onions). Throughout many European and developing countries irradiation adds stability to the fresh produce industry, be it vegetables or meat. coping with poor transportation and storage facilities. There has been over forty years of research, showing conclusively that there is no adverse effects from the consumption of irradiated food.

Radon is a natural form of ionizing radiation from the decay of uranium and thorium in the earths crust. It was recognized many years ago as a problem in mining but only in the last thirty or so years as a problem (in certain areas) to the general public. There is still much controversy over the effects of radon on the body. What is known, is that radon accounts for between 40 and 55% of our annual radiation accumulation. A Swedish study released in Feb. of 1995 concluded a direct relationship between radon levels and lung cancer rates in the general pubic, this through a thirty year study. This has supported the EPA stand in the US that there are elevated cancer rates seen in homes that have increased levels of radon concentrations. In the last few years the Americans have been looking at the relationship of colorectal cancer rates to the levels of radon in water. There are several studies that have linked an increase in colorectal cancer rated to elevated levels of radon in water. Here in Northern Ontario the same geological factors that effect both increased levels of airborne radon and waterborne radon are present. As you can see on this slide the highest amounts of uranium are in light granite and shale.The numbers here are numerical averages, It can be much higher up to 30 or more parts per million. Uranium decays to radium the next decay step changes from a solid to a gas and becomes radon which transports itself to the surface and dissipates into the atmosphere. However if it gets trapped in a house or building the levels of radiation can build to the point that it becomes very unhealthy.

The higher levels of radon in the water is caused when deep water pockets are inundated with radon beneath the earths crust and if trapped in the water, ie; a spring well it does not have the time to aerate before it gets into your home. When this water is heated, there is a massive release of radon into your home and then breathed in. If this water is drank the radon decay happens inside the body. Studies have shown that the decay process slows down when you are sleeping, so that your body has longer exposure to the alpha particles that are formed during the decay process. Hence the increase in colorectal cancers. There have also been studies carried out that show that the average smoker, in houses with radon, greatly increases his or her risk of lung cancer in proportion to the level of radon concentrations in their home. (Additional information re. radon in water: E.P. Lawrence, R.B. Eanty, P.Nyberg. Health Physics Vol. 62.No2 Feb 1992 /..Ms.J.Platt AAOHN Journal Nov.1993 /..T.A.Gosink, M.Baskaran, D.F. Holleman. Health Physics Vol 59.No6 Dec. 1990.)

Industrial Radioactive waste

Radioactive material is hazardous to our health. When it is dealt with in the proper manner it is of great value and in some cases indispensable to our industrial and scientific world, but when we are finished with it for what ever reason, it must be carefully dealt with. This what we call radioactive waste. It must be properly and safely stored and then disposed of by the proper authorities. Normally it will end up with AECL for burial (depending on the strength of the waste). The 3 keys to proper disposal are shielding, we normally bury it, distance, ensuring it is not near the general public or industrial personnel where someone could come in contact with it. And time; this is to allow the normal and natural decay to take place.

Environmental Radioactive waste

For the ordinary citizen, especially here in the north this unseen natural radioactive hazard if not dealt with in your home or work place, could mean that you are increasing your chances of contracting cancer, In the work environment these same elevated radon levels can exist and are being considered health and safety issues in many work places.