Category: Schools

Glen Ridge High School Physics Department Gammator 50B device 400 Curies of Cesium 137

1968 to at least 1989 the Atomic Energy Commission numbers for GRHS were 29-12957-01 and 29-12957-02 Update below, it was removed in 1991.

I grew up in this town in New Jersey, 11 miles due west of the Empire State Building where the EPA found Uranium, Thorium and Radium under our Little League Field at Carteret Park, and the next town over was Bloomfield New Jersey that had the Westinghouse Uranium and Thorium processing plant. But I just found that we had a device, the Gammaton 50B which contained 400 curies of Cesium 137 and was rated for 50,000 REM of radiation inside the chamber.

I will be posting the NRC correspondence and reports and you can decide for yourselves who is responsible. The man in charge was a good friend but he was way over his head on this and this whole mess is the result of the most destructive force known to man, the irresponsible Atomic Energy Commission that sent devices like this all over the country and the world on the “Atoms for Peace” initiative and they were also responsible for the atomic tests.

These documents are on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Website and I will post the Title of document with link and then the screen shots of the pages

Informs that Gammator-50 will be placed in physics project room in science wing of new high school.Burglar alarm sys connected to police station for security against break-ins.

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Two nuclear reactors sites, 369 Whisman Road Mountainview (now Google) and San Ramon CA

siteSUMMARY REPORT ON THE HAZARDS OF THE UTR TEST REACTOR
ATL Job 5164 ATL-D-619 7 June 1961Page 46

SUMMARY REPORT ON THE HAZARDS
OF THE UTR TEST REACTOR
ATL Job 5164
ATL-D-619
7 June 1961

Google currently occupies the location where American Standard built portable nuclear reactors that were sent overseas in trade shows for the Atomic Energy Commission and for colleges and universities. The AEC shut down the facility because it was located in a densely populated area and given the accidents from these reactors and that the location had no shielding or even containment for the radioactive gasses and radioactive water, it was decided to pull the plug on the reactors. They had two reactors on site and built these reactors for other entities:

Iowa State University
Virginia Polytechnic Institute / North Carolina State college
Australia (Atomic Energy Commission)
Japan (Kinki University) Osaka
Japan (Tokai University)

SUMMARY REPORT ON THE HAZARDS OF THE UTR TEST REACTOR
ATL Job 5164 ATL-D-619 7 June 1961 Page 27

From the report page 6:

“B. Reactor Building
The reactor will be housed in an existing 20′ x 32′ x 14′ eave height steel frame
reactor building. The building is supported on a reinforced concrete foundation and has corrugated steel walls and roof and a concrete floor sealed with Amercoat. A concrete curb around the base of the building will prevent run off of radioactive water. Gas-tight construction has not been provided. Entry to the building is provided by two sliding doors, which may be locked with a padlock. A stairway provides access to the top of the reactor. A one-ton electric hoist is available for removing the concrete closures from the reactor”

Note the curb around the building to prevent run off of radioactive water and the padlock on the door for security. Remember this is for two nuclear reactors.

These are the concentric circles that the Atomic Energy Commission requires for safety. If there was an accident everyone within range would have to be permanently evacuated. page 44

This reactor type was based on the Argonne reactor which had some serious defects causing a melt down.

Ruzich, K. C.., Sturm, W. J.. Hazard Summary Report for the Argonne AGN-201 Reactor. United States: Argonne National Laboratory, 1962.
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North Hollywood High School Nuclear Radiation Test to see how far gamma rays penetrates a school which is still in use to this day!

EXPERIMENTAL EVALUATION OF THE FALLOUT-RADIATION PROTECTION PROVIDED BY SELECTED STRUCTURES IN THE LOS ANGELES AREA February 26, 1963

“An experimental study designed to provide a basis for estimating protection against fallout radiation was conducted on four diversified structures in the Los Angeles, Calif., area. This study was sponsored by the Civil Effects Test Operations (CETO), Division of Biology and Medicine, U. S. Atomic Energy Commission. The four buildings studied were (1) the Laboratory of Nuclear Medicine and Radiation Biology at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA); (2) a family fallout shelter; (3) the communications section of the Los Angeles Police Department building; and (4) a typical classroom located at North Hollywood High School.

A fallout radiation field was simulated by the Mobile Radiological Measuring Unit. The unit employed a single radioactive Co 60 source, which was pumped at a uniform speed through a long length of tubing evenly distributed over the area of interest. Measurements of the radiation levels at selected points inside the structures were made with highly sensitive ionization chamber detectors. Protection factors ranged from 10 to 2000 in the UCLA building, up to 10,000 in the family fallout shelter, from 50 to 150 in the communications section of the police building, and from less than 10 to approximately 20 in the high school classroom.”

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East Palo Alto – MYRTLE STREET HIGH SCHOOL CAMPUS PHASE 2 (60001925)

Site History

Envirostor (State of California) page: 980 AND 992 MYRTLE STREET EAST PALO ALTO, CA 94303

Google Map

“The Site covers approximately 0.9 acre and was used for an orchard and flower growing business. Sequoia Union High School District (SUHSD) purchased the Site and planned for construction of a school facility for a charter school. The construction consisted of classrooms, a gymnasium and paved parking areas. The school campus is an expansion of the adjacent campus at 1010, 1020, 1040 and 1056 Myrtle Street (Site Code 204238) that was cleaned up under DTSC’s oversight in early 2011. In September 2013, SUHSD entered into a voluntary cleanup agreement with DTSC for cleanup of the soil contamination. The Site was cleaned up by soil excavation, capping and offsite disposal. Soil contaminated with arsenic, lead, dieldrin and DDT was excavated from classroom building locations and consolidated in a 0.5-acre area onsite that will be used for parking and gymnasium. Approximately 305 cubic yards of excess contaminated soil that cannot be used onsite was disposed of to a permitted landfill. The Site cleanup and school construction was completed in September 2014.” Continue reading “East Palo Alto – MYRTLE STREET HIGH SCHOOL CAMPUS PHASE 2 (60001925)” →

BURLINGAME HIGH SCHOOL (41820008) on toxic waste site

Site History

Burlingame High School is a perfect example of how the state of california defines toxic waste sites by fence lines instead of by distance to the toxin which is what everyoen else in the entire world does when it comes to saftey. Teh rest of the world defienes a toxic waste site by distance, for example the EPA defiens everything within 200 feet of a toxin is on a toxic waste site. The State of California defines it by fence line, property line. So if they find a toxic substance they fence in off, declare that a separate property and then decide on cleianing it up as the docket grows. They have removed it from the school site by declaring it a separate property.

Here is the map for Burlingame High School, the circles are the distance measurements from the toxic sites which include the grassy area in front of the school. The entire school should be evacuated and the state has a lot of explaining to do.

Envirostor (State of California) page 400 CAROLAN AVENUE BURLINGAME, CA 94010-2708 p 22

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