Conservation of radioactive objects

Sophie Rowe <rswr2<-at->cam<.>ac<.>uk> writes

>The Polar Museum holds a radioactive compass with radium paint on
>the inside of the lid, and this radium paint is now beginning to
>flake and contaminate the inner surfaces of the object ...

The museum
>is part of a University with a Safety Office which provides
>excellent support in monitoring and managing our small radioactive
>collection, so the compass is currently safely stored and not a
>contamination risk for anything else.  However,
>...
>... we are now looking
>at long term options for this object, including de-accessioning.
>The University Safety Office have asked if removing the radium paint
>and disposing of it safely would be an option that allows us to keep
>the compass while removing the problem of the radiation.

I suspect it would be easier and more conservationally appropriate
to consolidate the flaking paint in situ.  Consolidation of
hazardous materials, such as asbestos, is commonly used as a method
of reducing the hazard to acceptable levels.  It would not remove or
reduce radiation levels in this case, but it would fix the material
in place, removing the risk of spreading it around and/or accidental
ingestion, while preserving the original composition and appearance
of the object.

With the material fixed in place, the radiation risks from the
object are quite low, and slowly reducing over time as the
radioactive isotope decays (half life of radium = 1600 years)

Valerie Tomlinson


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 30:7
                  Distributed: Saturday, July 2, 2016
                        Message Id: cdl-30-7-003
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