Decontamination Efficacy of Tritium: Lessons Learned Outside Nuclear Power Operations

Abstract

Various pieces of equipment in use by the Canadian Department of National Defence (DND) contain radia tion emitting components. One such piece is the sight knobs used on light artillery. At the request of the DND's Director General Nuclear Safety (DGNS – DND's internal nuclear regulatory agency), SAIC Canada was contracted to perform the removal of a luminous tritium- impregnated paint strip from over 300 sight knobs. In this paper we discuss: the physical description of the sight knobs; the protocol developed for decontaminating the sight knobs; the rational for the release limits used; and experience in gained in using and modifying the decontamination protocol.