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Luminous Processes

Luminous Processes
EPA ID: GAD990855819
Location: Athens, Clarke County, GA
Congressional District: 11
NPL Status: Proposed: 10/23/81; Deleted before Final Site Background:
The Luminous Processes Site in Clarke County, Georgia, is a one-acre site which was operational from 1952 to 1978 using radioactive isotopes to paint watch and clock dials. The owners abandoned the site in 1980, leaving behind significant radioactive contamination in the soil and the building. Primary contaminants were Radium 226 and Tritium (H-3). There is no evidence of surface water or groundwater contamination from the site. The site was licensed by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and the Georgia Department of Health (now the Department of Human Resources). Due to financial problems, the owners never completed decontamination when the plant closed. EPA proposed the site for the NPL in October 1981.

Cleanup Progress: Construction Completed
The State of Georgia took the lead for the cleanup under a cooperative agreement with EPA and began the cleanup in mid-1982. State contractors excavated approximately 18,000 cubic feet of contaminated soil, shipped off more than 2,400 drums, and disposed nearly 500 millicuries of radium-226. They backfilled excavated areas with clean fill, seeded them with grass, and closed them from access to the public with fencing and warning signs. Contamination was removed from structures inside the on-site building and outdoors around the building. The entire cleanup was completed in five months by December, 1982. As a result of the cleanup activities described above, the Site was deleted before it was finalized on the NPL. No Five-Year Reviews are required for the Site. No further updates are warranted at this time.


For information about the contents of this page please contact Brenda Lane

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