For nearly 20 years, a trio of 5-gallon (19 liters) paint buckets sat near the taxidermy exhibit at Grand Canyon National Park's museum collections building. Those buckets, it turns out, weren't holding paint — they were actually loaded up with uranium ore, a naturally occurring rock rich in uranium that gives off potentially dangerous radiation. Elston "Swede" Stephenson, a health and wellness manager at the park's South Rim, recently described the uranium find and subsequent "cover-up" in a series of email blasts to Congress, his fellow National Park Service employees and the staff of The Arizona Republic newspaper. [Soviets Hid Nuclear Bunkers in Poland's Forests (Photos)] Stephenson warned that thousands of employees, tourists and school groups who visited the exhibit between 2000 and 2018 were likely "exposed" to dangerous amounts of radiation, especially groups of kids who sat for 30-minute presentations in the uranium's vicinity. These children may have been exposed to roughly 1,400 times the safe radiation dosage allowed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Stephenson wrote. Scary stuff, if true. However, several experts told Live Science that Stephenson's assessment may be unfounded. "If the time spent near the ore was short, there is likely little cause for concern," Bill Field, a professor of Occupational and Environmental Health at the University of Iowa, told Live Science in an email. See more Safe ore not safe? Over time, uranium can break down into radioactive materials like radium and release harmful gas like radon. Studies of uranium miners have shown that prolonged exposure to uranium's decay products can increase the chances of getting cancer — However, Field said, "The risk from a few buckets of the uranium ore is quite different than a career in uranium mining." According to F. Ward Whicker, a radioecology expert and professor emeritus at Colorado State University, uranium ore emits all three types of radiation — alpha particles, beta particles and gamma particles. Of these, only strong gamma rays would be likely to penetrate the sealed containers and affect bystanders in the room. Fortunately, Whicker told Live Science, humans are built to withstand this type of radiation in small, regular doses. "The amounts of radiation exposure from natural terrestrial sources and galactic cosmic rays to people living anywhere is far higher than most realize," Whicker said. "Life flourishes in this constant radiation environment because DNA repair mechanisms operate efficiently and rapidly in cells — provided that intensity of radiation exposure is within certain levels." The danger, if any, from the Grand Canyon ore buckets depends on a long list of factors, Whicker said, including an individual's distance from the ore, the length of their exposure, the quantity of ore in the buckets, the amount of uranium in that ore, and the amount of shielding provided by the rocky parts of the ore itself and the container. The ore's relative harmlessness is reflected in a report from the Parks Service, which Stephenson referenced in his emails. After a teenager with a Geiger counter accidentally discovered the ore buckets in the museum in March 2018, the Parks Service launched a brief investigation to test radiation levels in and around the building. According to their report (which Stephenson quoted to The Arizona Republic), direct contact with the ore resulted in radiation levels at roughly twice the safe annual dosage allowed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission — however, readings taken just 5 feet (1.5 meters) away from the bucket showed zero radiation. A statement from the Health Physics Society (HPS), released on Feb. 20 in response to the ore incident, also indicated the health risks are negligible. "Uranium ore is a low-risk material that, unless ingested, would not be emitting enough radiation from these three buckets to cause harmful effects," according to the HPS statement. The next steps The uranium ore has since been disposed of in a nearby uranium mine. Meanwhile, the Parks Service, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Arizona Bureau of Radiation Control are now investigating the museum and its premises. According to Emily Davis, Grand Canyon National Park Public Affairs Officer, radiation levels at the site are normal and safe. "A recent survey of the Grand Canyon National Park's museum collection facility found radiation levels at background levels — the amount always present in the environment — and below levels of concern for public health and safety," Davis told NPR. "There is no current risk to the public or park employees. The museum collection facility is open and work routines have continued as normal." Any long-term effects caused by the ore's 18-year stint in the museum remain to be identified. While it might be negligible, the ore likely did increase the radon levels in the building somewhat, Field told Live Science. "The facility should have radon testing performed," Field said. "Over the long term, however, the potential exposure from radon from natural sources in the soil and rock under the facility would likely be the greatest source of radiation to the public and workers." Stephenson did not immediately respond to Live Science's request for comment. Editor’s note: This article was corrected to clarify that uranium ore releases alpha, beta and gamma radiation, and to include a statement from the Health Physics Society. Originally published on Live Science.<doc-sep>Something inexplicable has been going on at the Grand Canyon museum, and the truth is stranger than fiction. It all started in March of 2018, when the teenage son of a park employee was testing out their Geiger counter in the museum collection room. As the young radiation enthusiast was wandering around the space, they noticed the instrument suddenly spike. It was here, right next to the taxidermy exhibit, that officials found three buckets filled to the brim with highly radioactive uranium ore. One of the 19-litre (5 gallon) containers was so overloaded, it couldn't even close properly. Only then was the truth fully realised: for nearly two decades, ever since the buckets were inexplicably brought to the museum, tourists, employees, and children had passed unnervingly close to a dangerous source of radiation. After eight months of silence from the US National Park Service (NPS), the story is finally reaching the public. On February 4th, AZ Central reports, a rogue email was set out to all NPS employees detailing the entire debacle and blaming "top management failure". It was written by none other than the park's own safety, health and wellness manager, Elston "Swede" Stephenson, who found out about the uranium and reported it to park service officials in June 2018, a few months after it was discovered and moved to a different building. Stephenson, who was concerned primarily by the health consequences, says that he repeatedly emailed officials at the NPS, urging them to inform the public. But after months of fruitless waiting, he took matters into his own hands. "If you were in the museum collections building between the year 2000 and June 18, 2018, you were 'exposed' to uranium by the [Occupational Safety and Health Administration's] definition," Stephenson wrote in the email, according to AZ Central. While this exposure will not necessarily cause dangerous health consequences, he urged worried employees to consider receiving a medical screening. "Of particular concern are 1,000s of children attending 'shows' in very close proximity to the uranium," he reportedly pointed out. Right next to the three buckets, he explained, children would often stop and listen to museum demonstrations, which means they were sometimes sitting next to a radioactive substance for 30 minutes or more. Based on radiation readings and standards from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Stephenson figured that within three seconds, these kids could have been exposed to radiation levels well beyond federal safety standards. For adults, it would have taken less than 30 seconds. In fact, he calculated potential exposures over 1,400 times the NRC's safe level for children, and over 140 times the safe level for adults. (Elston Stephenson/AZ Central) But when Stephenson called expert technicians to come get rid of the uranium for good in June 2018, he said they kept the radiation readings from his view. Allegedly, once the technicians had dumped the ore in a nearby mine, they returned the radioactive buckets back to the museum. In November 2018 they were found and removed by OSHA officials who were following up on Stephenson's report. Since the email was sent, Stephenson has not heard from the NPS, and he told AZ Central that he thinks officials are "in cover up mode." Nevertheless, the Park Service has assured the public that the uranium has officially been removed and that background radiation levels at the museum are safely under control. A joint investigation involving OSHA and Arizona's health department is currently underway.<doc-sep>
Photo : Sean Gallup ( Getty ) Earlier this month, a National Park Service safety manager sent a “rogue” email alleging the improper storing of radioactive material at a Grand Canyon facility frequented by children, the Arizona Republic reports. According to safety, health, and wellness manager Elston “Swede” Stephenson, three 5-gallon containers of uranium ore were kept near a taxidermy exhibit at the Grand Canyon’s Museum Collections Building for 18 years until they were discovered last year and quietly disposed of. “If you were in the Museum Collections Building (2C) between the year 2000 and June 18, 2018, you were ‘exposed’ to uranium by OSHA’s definition,” reportedly read the email Stephenson sent to all Park Service employees on February 4. According to the Arizona Republic , Stephenson’s email explained the uranium was in a park headquarters basement for decades before it was moved to the museum building in 2000. He wrote that the buckets were stored near a taxidermy exhibit that tours for kids stopped at. “I’ve never seen anything like this in my life,” Stephenson told the Arizona Republic. He told the newspaper that a teenage Geiger counter enthusiast found the uranium ore in March 2018 and workers then moved the buckets somewhere else in the building. Stephenson said he found out about the uranium a few months later and reported it. Technicians allegedly came to the building several days after his call and took away the uranium-filled buckets with the aid of a broken mop and gardening and dishwashing gloves. Stephenson included photos of this process in a slideshow he made about the uranium issue, which was reviewed by the Arizona Republic. Emily Davis, a spokesperson for Grand Canyon National Park, told Gizmodo in a statement that the National Park Service is coordinating with the Arizona Department of Health Services and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for an investigation into the matter. OSHA did not immediately respond to a Gizmodo request for comment, but the agency confirmed to the Arizona Republic that there is an investigation. According to Davis, recent tests showed that the museum collection facility had radiation levels that were similar to what is always present in the area—levels that pose no risk for the public. “The NPS takes public and employee safety and the response to allegations seriously,” Davis’ statement read. “There is no current risk to the public or park employees. The museum collection facility is open and employee work routines have continued as normal.” Davis did not respond to Gizmodo’s request for comment about the risk the uranium ore posed to employees and tourists all the years it was allegedly stored at the facility. [Arizona Republic]