Dear Karl,
How interesting! It happens. You don't know where that pesky glacial till
has been! Sometimes glaical deposits will carry bits of uraniferous source
rocks and imbue any fossils with the radioactive stuff. If it's any
consolation, here in Utah nearly every bone is radioactive...
No great solutions but some good ones. Since the matter is in the matrix, a
good cleaning/matrix removal is warranted in this case but NB! ONLY by a pro
who knows how to handle toxic fossils and ONLY in prep facility that can
isolate and handle the nasty dust generated.
Sealing will slow, not stop, radon from escaping. There are plastics like
polysiloxane that will do some good. Standard consolidants may or may not
help, and have not been tested for efficacy. Poly bags will slow, not stop,
emissions and are not a cure, but will keep dust from spreading.
Storage is an issue. Mostly storage solutions would entail some serious air
exchangers venting a tightly sealed cabinet. I think the National Park
Service has put out some useful information about these systems.
Whatever you do, radon is radon whatever the source. Don't let it build up
or expose humans for long cumulative periods.
Yours,
Jeff
On 2/9/07 1:51 PM, "Curator" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> A recent survey of our collections has found a mastodon tusk.
> Unfortunately it has radon in it. As the curator of a modest sized
> historical society, what is the best course of action to take? (Does
> radon have anything to do with Carbon-14 dating?) My specialty is local
> history, not archaeology.
>
> Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
>
> Karl Wolff, Curator
> History Center at Olmsted County
> Rochester, MN
>
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--
Jeff Bartlett
Director, Collections and Research
College of Eastern Utah Prehistoric Museum
(435) 613-5753
[log in to unmask]
451 E 400 N
Price, UT 84501
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