ML19263E979
| ML19263E979 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Crane  |
| Issue date: | 08/29/1979 |
| From: | Muller D Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| To: | Madara R AFFILIATION NOT ASSIGNED |
| Shared Package | |
| ML19263E980 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 7910170331 | |
| Download: ML19263E979 (1) | |
Text
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,g UNITED STATES y
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION E
WASHINGTON, D. C. 20555
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d 4.....s AUG 2S 1979 Ms. Rosemarie R. Madara 1257 Hudson Street Harrisburg, PA 17104
Dear Ms. Madara:
Chairman Hendrie has asked our office to consider the suggestion raised in your letter of August 15, 1979 and to reply.
The process of decontaminating a nuclear facility is much like that of cleaning up comon soil, except that it is done much more thoroughly and with many precautions.
Similarly, the process of decontaminating water containing radioactivity employs methods much like those used to process drinking water, but is also more thorough.
Chlorophyll is a special kind of a chemical compound, known as a chelate, that contains magnesiur?,
Since it combines readily with many unsaturated organic compounds it is sometimes used as a deodorizer. Although cnlorophyll itself is not useful against fission product elements, other more powerful chelating agents are indeed used in decontamination and these agents act by binding chemically to fission product atoms in a manner quite analogous to that which binds the magnesium atoms inside the chlorophyll molecule.
While, in theory, magnesium could be used to purify contaminated water by forming a gelatinous hydroxide flocculate, it is much less effective than other means. Aluminum hydroxide is often used to purify drinking water, for example, and is much more efficient than would be magnesium hydroxide flocculation.
Neither method, however, is as thorough as the ion exchange resin process being proposed for water decontamination at Three Mile Island.
Thank you for your interest.
Sincerely, r
SJ W - ) A ???#./ 5 Daniel R. Muller, Acting Director Division of Site Safety and Environmental Analysis Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation 2219 009 I91017033,\\,
.