Ask Kevin: Radioactive fly ash?
18 May '07 from Kevin Contreras
Kevin,
I very much like your show, and last night saw the episode in which you poured a foundation using "fly ash" to substitute for cement. While this may have certain environmental advantages, some fly ash is slightly radioactive, depending on the original coal. This may result in a foundation with issues similar to the radon accumulation issue in homes with basements. Especially in an energy efficient home, where the air circulation level may be low, I would at least look into what the radon emitting characteristics of the fly ash will be.
Best regards,
Cas Milner
Yikes! I learn something new every day. Someone else alerted me to the radioactive possibility in fly ash. I actually had a Geiger counter brought in to test our concrete. There was no evidence of radioactivity. Radon is different from Radioactivity. It emanates naturally from the ground, particularly in certain regions, especially (but not only) regions with granitic soils. However, not all granitic regions are prone to high emissions of radon. Depending on how houses are built and ventilated, radon may accumulate in basements and dwellings. Many methods can reduce radon in homes. I would like any scientific information you or others have about radioactivity in fly ash.
Sincerely,
Kevin
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Ask Kevin: Radioactive fly ash?
I think you've completely missed the point. Whether or not fly ash in your case is radioactive, that fly ash came from a coal powered power plant which is definately not green. Helping a coal fired power plant dispose of its waste products only makes it that much easier for coal fired power plants to justify their existence. And you should have been completely aware of that point.
So your point seems to be
So your point seems to be that we should dispose of the fly ash in the ground, where it has a greater chance of leaching radon than when it is encased in the concrete. See http://www.ce.utexas.edu/prof/Siegel/papers/conference/siegel_2006_HB_radon_submitted.pdf and http://www.buildinggreen.com/features/flyash/guidelines.cfm
Coal power is a fact of life, and it isn't likely to change (not even by building more wind farms, which have their own serious problems if sited improperly). Coal power has such a huge financial justification for its existence that your argument is virtually irrelevant. Using fly ash in concrete is simply taking the lemons and making lemonade.
Radioactive Elements in Coal and Flt Ash
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) has published a fact sheet on radioactivity in coal ash “Radioactive Elements in Coal and Fly Ash: Abundance, Forms, and Environmental Significance”
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Frank Jones