BERYLLIUM DETECTION BY FLUORESCENT SPECTROSCOPY

Thesis/Dissertation · Sun Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 2021

OSTI ID:1827194

Pate, Michal Jan ^[1]

---

1. Y-12 National Security Complex, Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Texas A & M Univ., College Station, TX (United States)

Facilities that machine and process materials involving beryllium oxide are hazardous to workers safety and require monitoring of contamination. A primary goal in industrial worker safety in beryllium containing facilities is avoiding inhalation, which may cause chronic beryllium disease (CBD). Decontamination is labor intensive due to the miniscule size of beryllium dust and the difficulty of detecting its presence on surfaces. Current methods of beryllium detection, while successful, involve numerous intermediate steps such as obtaining wipe samples, applying buffers, centrifuging with ammonium bifluoride, additives to reduce influence of other competing metal ions, and require potentially long wait times of around 24 hours for a single surface sample. In some cases, these samples must be sent to testing facilities across the country and results may not be available for days. Therefore, for the purposes of this study, it has been deemed important to test new fluorescent dyes that can rapidly produce a beryllium presence confirmation via application spray.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant (Y-12), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: NA0001942
• OSTI ID: 1827194
• Report Number(s): IROS38832
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY