The Site is a defunct tissue paper manufacturer (aka paper converting) located in a rural
area of Greenwich, NY, 20 miles east of Saratoga Springs, NY.
The company became defunct 2 years ago and had filed for liquidation bankruptcy; the
owner walked away from the property. The plant was recently purchased by a company
based in California. The original intent was to reopen the plant, but due to economic considerations the plant will be demolished and sold for residential development.
The Site occupies 27 acres in a rural/residential area, and is perched on the edge of a cliff
over the Battenkill River. It has one large brick and wood, multi-level manufacturing
consisting of a warehouse, two hydroelectric power plants, manufacturing areas, a lab,
offices, and repair shops. There is a boiler house and an associated 20,000 gallon AST for
waste oil. There are a number of small out-buildings used for vehicle and misc. equipment storage.
Security guard service is in-place from 8AM to 6PM, seven days a week, but there is no
coverage during night time hours. The security guard is an 80 year old individual who
appears to be frail and has difficulty hearing. The facility has limited access via a dirt
road, however, the property is unfenced and the buildings are unlocked and unsecured.
Stevens & Thompson Paper Mill Site is being assessed for responsible party cleanup by OSC Kahn. A crate labeled Krypton-85/UN# 2982 (Not Otherwise Specified) was discovered on 11/12/04.
OSC Daly traveled to the site with radiation screening instruments. There were no readings above background surrounding the crate. The crate appeared to be empty. If a radioactive isotope was inside, a heavy shielding material would normally be present. The crate was labeled 37 GBq which is about 1 Curie of Activity.
The Honeywell Precision Plus 150 Therm Scanner was screened at approximately 1 inch from the casing labeled with radiation stickers. The Ludlam 19 reading was 1000 uR/Hr. Honeywell is the manufacturing of the scanner. OSC contacted CHEMTREC and located the appropriate Honeywell Radiation Safety Personnel. EPA then put the owner and Honeywell in contact with each other to negotiate removal of radioactive Kr-85 Capsule. This was performed under OSC oversight on 11/16/04.
OSC Daly met with the local Honeywell Technician. The Kr-85 Capsule/Unit was properly/safely removed from the scanner. The unit was secured in a shielding container specifically designed for this capsule. The Kr-85 was then properly placed in a shipping crate and labeled with appropriate DOT sticker. A Honeywell checklist was carefully reviewed throughout the process. Two radiation screening instruments were being used throughout the process. No readings above 1000 uR/Hr were observed. The crate was shipped to the Honeywell Office in Arizona via Federal Express. The source will be assessed for re-use or proper disposal. The scanner casing did not have any reading above background after the Kr-85 unit removal. NYSDEC and the local Fire Department were contacted prior to activities and again after completion of the removal.
No further radiological removal actions are planned at this time.
Follow-up on re-use or disposal of Kr-85 Capsule
Kr-85 is a Radioactive Noble Gas with a 10 year half-life. Kr-85 is commercially used in paper thickness gauges, detecting leaks in sealed containers, a triggering agent in discharge type electronic tubes, and in the medical field, specifically heart shunt studies.
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