An average individual is exposed to low level radioactivity every day. Source contamination can be found just about anywhere you go, in varying intensities and types. There are real risks with environmental radioactivity, even at low levels. For those in the metal recycling business the risk is far more. According to UNECE Worldwide, there have been over 40 deaths and 266 serious injuries as the result of uncontrolled radioactive source incidents. Aside from radiation exposure to workers and the public, this unwanted radioactive scrap material causes environmental and facility contamination with cleanup costs that average $12–15 million per incident.
There are potential hazards from radioactive materials thus operators in the metal scrap and recycling business ought to identify materials that may be radioactive. In Nigeria, smaller companies and independent scrap dealers are particularly at risk, if they do not have proper detection systems and procedures in place to check the origin of the scrap and if their workers are not trained to recognize international symbols. This is where Dartwood Global Solutions Ltd comes in. Those working with scrap metal should be aware of the labelling used to indicate the presence of radiation. We have team of inspectors that are trained with sophisticated equipment to detect radioactive sources and contamination. We also offer training that can assist our clients and their staff in the detection radioactive contamination or sources and maintenance of a safe working environment.
Dartwood is currently leading discussion on the need for a survey of radiation exposure at metal recycling plants in order to evaluate whether the levels of exposure are sufficiently high to expose workers to radiological health risk. For this to be effective, recycling and metal scrap yards requires the implementation of regulatory control. At least 50% of the metal used over the world (Nigeria Inclusive) is recycled. Much of it originates from scrap metal which comes from a variety of sources and is melted together. In some cases, a number of these sources may have been radioactively contaminated either from natural sources (for example, soil) or artificial sources (for example, nuclear power plants).
An increased number of incidents involving radioactive scrap metal have prompted the international community to actively address the issue of monitoring radioactive scrap metal.
