| Popis: |
The U.S. Radium Corporation plant in Bloomsburg, PA, was one of two major radium dial painting facilities in the United States during the post-World War II era. Victor Hess, of the Physics Department of Fordham University, was responsible for radon breath measurements from workers at this plant. His room air sample results, over 300 measurements dating from 1949 through 1966, form a unique data base for reconstructing radium dial worker radon exposures in that era. Monday morning radon levels averaged about 150 Bq m−3, well below the tolerance level of 370 Bq m−3. That average is representative of radium dial painting areas of the plant. Most areas, particularly offices and technical support areas, had radon levels comparable to local residential averages. Levels in the radium laboratory areas throughout most of the study period were above the tolerance limit; the highest location averaged 603 Bq m−3. radon levels in laboratory areas were significantly reduced in the last six years of the study, but radon levels in other parts of the plant remained relatively constant. These values, because of time of collection, may modestly underestimate radon concentrations during work hours in much of the plant and significantly overestimate it in laboratory areas. |
