A potassium bearing powder arrived at our facility and set off a radiation detector; 40K is the suspected source. How dangerous is employee exposure, for example skin exposure, eye exposure, or inhalation to the powder and how can the danger be assessed?
There is really no danger from the radiation coming from the 40K that makes up only 0.012% (120 ppm) of the total amount of potassium found in nature. Potassium-40 decays by electron capture and beta decay. The radiation from potassium-chloride is not much more radioactive than natural background radiation.
John Hageman, CHP
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