Show j I J Jordan River Radiation A Problem J A group of eminent people people people peo peo- met at Jordan Fur and Reclamation Company last week to discuss a problem which is potentially serious but at the present time con con- The potential problem problem problem lem is radiation in the Jordan Jordan Jordan Jor Jor- dan River and in the marshes into which the river flows ACTING as spokesman forthe forthe for forthe the group was Dr Robert Pendleton of the Radiological Control Department of the University of Utah Dr Pendleton Pendleton Pendleton Pen Pen- has conducted a series of studies over several years of problems resulting from tailings piles of Vitro Corporation Corporation Corpo Corpo- ration at South and about West in Salt Lake county We UWe do not at present have havea a serious problem said Dr Pendleton People have lived for years with the amount of radiation being emitted by these tailings The problem is however potentially very serious ItHE It HE EXPLAINED that there are between two and Curies of radium in three big piles of tailings in the area of the ore processing plant A curie of radium is roughly rough rough- ly one gram This radium has a half life of about 1500 years and it t is continually escaping in small amounts into the air by way of wind and into the ditch by the tailings tailings tail tail- ings piles which empties into the Jordan River The liThe problem It said Dr Pendleton is lIis that people forget how dangerous those tangs can be There have foi fol i stance been requests for use of the fine sandy soil soH for use as fill for housing construction At one time the Salt Lake County Road Department Department Department De De- De- De requested permission permission sion to use the tailings to sand streets in winter VITRO IS no longer operating operating operating oper oper- the mill at South location but the tailings remain remain remain re re- re- re main and are at present un un- un controlled Various proposals for controlling controlling con con- trolling the tailings have been made At present said Mr Hurst from the State Health Department the State Highway Highway Highway High High- way Department is proposing to cover the piles with a food to soil and plant grass grasson on top SAID JOHN Condor from Utah Power and Light This stop the problem The only way way way way-to to get rid of that problem is to haul the tail tail- ings lags away and bury them somewhere As Dr Pendleton explained to the group radiation from the tailings piles contaminates the river and will continue to do so as long as they remain remain remain re re- re- re main at their present site Wind blows the fine sand Rain and snow soak into the piles and eventually seep through into the river and once in inthe inthe inthe the river the radiation is trapped in the Jordan River marshes for geologic time THIS BASIN is unique in that there is no drainage from it Any contamination going down the Jordan River ends up in hi the marshes and Great Salt Lake because there is no way out Radiation accumulates accumulates accumulates and if the tailings in the Vitro pile are left where they are eventually the entire entire entire en en- tire marshes may become becom dangerously radioactive Covering the piles and planting planting planting plant plant- ing grass will stop the dust blowing the sand from the piles said Dr Pendleton but it will not stop the emission of radon gas nor the leaching leaching leach leach- ing into the river from rain and snow Radon gas is a byproduct product from the breakdown breakdown breakdown break break- down of the radium and will escape into nto the atmosphere where it will again contaminate contaminate contaminate nate the Salt Lake area THE RADIUM in the tailings tailings tailings tail tail- ings piles is the same type as that which causes damage to miners working in uranium mines and the same type of danger exists as was found in workers who painted dials on luminous watches and developed developed developed de de- de- de radiation sickness because because because be be- cause they licked the tiny paint brushes rushes with which they worked The danger Dr Pendleton repeated is that people for for- get Right now the State Health Department and his office at atthe atthe atthe the University have their eye on those tailings and have been successful in stopping any use of the material but personnel changes occur and andin andin andin in a few Cew years it t is possible that people will have forgotten forgot forgot- ten how dangerous that material material mate mate- rial is HE EXPLAINED that if the tailings were used for fillon fill fillon fillon on land in which a building were built with a basement in the tailings fill fiJI the people peo p. pIe in that basement would receive large and possible even eventually fatal doses of radiation from the tailings Dr Pendleton routinely takes his students from the University ty out to the marshes of the Jordan River with their radiation detection equipment It is such a beautiful demonstration forthe forthe for forthe the students he said There are hot spots' spots where a concentration concentration concentration con con- of that dust has lodged which send those instruments instruments instruments ments chattering Our students are very impressed WHEN THE radioactive particles particles particles par par- lodge in the body of human beings they are not excreted but remain in the body emitting radiation con con- Eventually even evena a small particle of radium in ina ina a lung can build up in that individual a serious dose of radiation Q 9 Marsh birds and animals animals' d pick up the radioactive e ma material material ma maiI fj 8 and Dr Pendleton's ex ez experiments have disclosed the presence of this material in inthe inthe the bones of Jordan River fish j At the conclusion of the meeting it was decided var var- various various ious groups represented at atthe atthe t the meeting will draft letters letters let let- 1 to Governor Hampton Rampton stating their concern and and requesting re re- questing official action to have some permanent and effective action taken to remove remove re re- move the dangerous material from the center of this Ious bus area |