COM 0931.014 1996-1998 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Proposed Amendment to County of Hawaii Charter Commercial Irradiator Facilities i7 Testimony of Curtis A. Beck, P.E. t7n Friends of Agriculture-Hawaii [411, August 5, 1998 TESTIMONY I am a registered mechanical Professional Engineer, State of Hawaii No. 5511, September 20, 1983. I am not currently engaged in the design of mechanical or structural systems. I testify today as a concerned Hilo citizen of nearly 20 years, having a scientific and engineering background, and being familiar through my education and my experience with mechanical systems and structures, as well as the use of radioactive materials. In the 1970's, I did graduate study in nuclear engineering at Stanford University, and worked two years at the Hanford federal nuclear reservation in the state of Washington. I also worked approximately 8 months at the Argonne National Laboratory, where I conducted research into the irradiation of crystalline metals. All of this work involved the handling and use of radioactive materials. I am a member of the American Nuclear Society since 1976. I am convinced that a commercial irradiation facility could be constructed and operated safely in the County of Hawaii. There is considerable experience with such plants around the world; I understand that there are well over a hundred of these plants operating in over 40 countries. These are not "nuclear" plants any more than a dairy is a "chemical" plant. An irradiation plant is simply a facility wherein a product, in this case fresh papayas and other tropical fruits, are exposed to the gamma radiation from a substance called "cobalt- 60" undergoing radioactive decay with a half-life of about 5 years. No spontaneous nuclear fission process occurs or is possible in these facilities. Meltdown of the radioactive material is also not possible, and the use of a pool of water is primarily to provide shielding of humans from the harmful effects of the radiation emitted by the cobalt-60. The water in the pool would not be radioactive, and therefore poses no threat to public water supplies. Some persons in the Hawaii Island Community have made an issue out of their perception that a commercial irradiation facility would not be "safe". Indeed, a commercial irradiator would use a quantity of cobalt-60 that is about 100 times that of the cancer treatment facility, a medical irradiator, at Hilo Medical Center. However, the safety issues for such a facility, whether the medical irradiator at the hospital, or a larger commercial irradiator, are essentially the same. If a medical irradiator is deemed safe enough to be operated in the County of Hawaii, then a commercial irradiator should also be considered "safe enough." The medical irradiator is subject to all of the same forces of nature: threat of earthquake, storm, and lava flow. The commercial irradiator can be Gown. Nu.__. / 3 P~~sehted C°u.~+c,~ Aef. 'Cu:_ W. Doti AM 5 1998