STANDARD FORM 129 AUGUST 1952 PRESCRIBED BY GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION TO: All answers should be typed or printed. See reverse for information and instructions. DATE OF THIS APPLICATION 9. PERSONS OR CONCERNS AUTHORIZED TO SIGN BIDS AND CONTRACTS IN YOUR NAME (If agent, so specify) 11. INDICATE CLASSES OF EQUIPMENT, SUPPLIES, MATERIAL, AND/OR SERVICES ON WHICH YOU DESIRE TO BID (Use attached list, if any) 12. CATEGORY (See definitions on the reverse of this form and check below the category which applies to the applicant) INFORMATION AND INSTRUCTIONS Persons or concerns wishing to be added to a particular agency's bidder's mailing list for supplies or services shall file this properly completed and certified Bidder's Mailing List Application, together with such other lists as may be attached to the application form, with each procurement office of the Federal agency with which they desire to do business. The application shall be submitted and signed by the principal as distinguished from an agent, however constituted. After placement on the bidder's mailing list of an agency, a supplier's failure to respond (submission of bid, or notice in writing that you are unable to bid on that particular transaction but wish to remain on the active bidder's mailing list for that particular item) to Invitations for Bids will be understood by the agency to indicate lack of interest and concurrence in the removal of the supplier's name from the purchasing activity's bidder's mailing list for the items concerned. CATEGORY DEFINITIONS A. MANUFACTURER OR PRODUCER means a person (or concern) owning, operating, or maintaining a factory or establishment that produces, on the premises, the materials, supplies, articles, or equipment of the general character of those listed in item No. 11. B. REGULAR DEALER (Type 1) means a person (or concern) who owns, operates, or maintains a store, warehouse, or other establishment in which the materials, supplies, articles, or equipment of the general character listed in item No. 11 are bought, kept in stock, and sold to the public in the usual course of business. C. REGULAR DEALER (Type 2) in the case of supplies of particular kinds (at present, petroleum, lumber and timber products, coal, machine tools, raw cotton, green coffee, or hay, grain, feed, and straw) “Regular DEALER” means a person (or concern) satisfying the requirements of article 101 (b) of the regulations, as amended from time to time, prescribed by the Secretary of Labor under the Walsh-Healey Public Contracts Act (41 U. S. Code 35-45). D. SERVICE ESTABLISHMENT means a concern (or person) which owns, operates, or maintains any type of business which is principally engaged in the furnishing of nonpersonal services, such as (but not limited to) repairing, cleaning, redecorating, or rental of personal property, including the furnishing of necessary repair parts or other supplies as part of the services performed. U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1956 O-374115 [No. 31] SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION TECHNICAL AIDS FOR SMALL MANUFACTURERS Washington, D. C., January 1954, revised September 1956 RADIOISOTOPES AND SMALL BUSINESS (By Philip G. Read, Procurement and Small Business Specialist, Atomic Energy Commission) INTRODUCTION Radioisotopes are byproducts of atomic energy and are potentially applicable to a wide range of industrial problems. The purpose of this aid is to discuss radioisotopes in terms of some of the possible industrial applications, distribution, license requirements, safety, and sources of further information in order to bring this avenue of business activity to the attention of small business concerns. A number of the possible applications referred to in this paper already are being used by industry; others are still being developed in the laboratory. Some of the latter may be successful and others may never become commercially practicable. Radioisotope applications may be a source of opportunity for some firms but not for others. Interested business concerns will have to determine for themselves the manner and extent to which they should incorporate radioisotopes into their business activities. In this connection, costs, safety problems, training of personnel, radioisotope availability and alternative nonradioisotope techniques are some of the factors which should be given careful consideration. WHAT IS A RADIOISOTOPE A radioisotope is a source of radioactivity. Most people today are familiar with the concept of the atom, which involves a nucleus of protons and neutrons surrounded by a number of electrons revolving in orbits like planets circling a sun. In the case of radioactive atoms, the nucleus of each atom is pictured as being in an "excited" state, and the action of emission of radiation from the nucleus of such an excited atom is known as radioactivity. This radiation may be either a minute particle of matter or a quantity of energy traveling in a wave form similar to a light ray. In general, there are three principal types of radiation: alpha, beta and gamma. None of these can be detected by a person's natural senses. The penetrating properties of these three types of radiation, plus the fact that all isotopes of the same atom are chemically identical, make radioisotopes unique tools. POSSIBLE INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS Now, let us consider the particular radiation characteristics of radioisotopes as they are or might be used in industry. A. Ability to cause desirable biological changes Radioactive emissions of sufficiently high intensity have a lethal (deadly) effect upon micro-organisms. A controlled system could be developed which would sterilize without heat, perhaps in the ultimate consumer container, such commodities as milk, canned goods and fresh fruits, as well as bandages and medicinal supplies. Penetrating radiation has a potential use for the pasteurization of prepackaged materials which are now heat pasteurized or for other materials which will not stand elevated temperatures. Artificial aging of meat, whisky, beer, and other products is also a possibility. To date, the practicability of using irradiation to cause desirable biological changes has been confined to laboratory tests. No commercial application has yet begun. B. Ability to penetrate material and be detected Probably more firms are commercially utilizing the penetration and detection characteristics of radioisotopes than any other property of these materials. More than 150 companies are measuring and controlling the thickness of sheet materials-rubber, paper, metal, and textiles-with radioisotope gages. Variations in sheet thickness are measured with great accuracy. In addition to sensitivity, this type of gage has the added advantage that no part of the gage need touch the moving sheet. The cost of the radioisotope for such a gage may be only $25, although the entire cost to produce the gage, including the associated electronic equipment, may run from $4,000 to $8,000. Rather wide use has been made of gamma radiation for detecting flaws in assembled mechanisms-such as defective welds, rivets, and castings. Eventually this type of radiography may be adapted to inspection of packages and to other production-line operations. Other applications include identification of pipeline shipments by introducing a radioactive tracer at the interface between different oils in the same line; measuring wear (such as tire or piston wear); measuring corrosion of metals and refractories, and measuring the cleaning action of various detergents. C. Ability to induce chemical reactions Although it is too early for any prediction, present research investigations suggest a likely future for fission products in the chemical industries. Many industrial photoactivated chemical reactions are in use today and there is good reason to believe that radiosensitive chemical reactions such as the chain reaction processes characterized as polymerizations, halogenations, and oxidations, also will enjoy industrial applications. Chemical reactions which involve a large number of free radicals in relation to the total quantity of material produced require large quantities of radiation. It is possible that the use of radioactive materials to induce this type of chemical breakdown would be economically practicable, but it is also probable that this would only be true for the production of high-priced specialty chemicals. The more promising type of reaction is one which involves a small number of free radicals in relation to the total quantity of material produced. This involves a type of chemical chain reaction in which radioactive materials might be used as a source of "triggering" energy. D. Ability to cause fluorescence and to ionize gases The radiations emitted by radioactive substances leave charged particles in their wake which are capable of conducting electricity. This phenomenon is called ionization. It should be noted, however, that the ionization effectiveness of radiation depends upon the kind of radiations emitted. For example, gamma radiations penetrate long distances and leave long paths of only slightly ionized gases. Beta particles, on the other hand, will ionize gases to a much higher degree but have a finite and shorter range. Alpha emitters possess a very short range but are characterized by intense ionization per unit distance. Generally, gamma emitters are not effective in ionizing gases but are more effective in ionizing liquids. Practicable applications of this ability to ionize gases and liquids include the elimination of static electricity in the production of plastic films, paper, or in any process where a nonconducting material builds up a static charge; activation of phosphors to produce luminescence in the paint used on billboards, etc., and the establishment of a permanent state of ionization in a gas to reduce startingvoltage requirements in such equipment as the common fluorescent tube. DISTRIBUTION The Oak Ridge National Laboratory originally made all but a very few of the radioisotope shipments. While ORNL is still the primary source of supply, several other AEC laboratories are also distributing radioisotopes. These include the Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Ill.; Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, Long Island, N. Y.; Mount Laboratory, Miamisburg, Ohio; National Reactor Testing Station, Idaho Falls, Idaho, and the Hanford Atomic Products Operation, Richland, Wash. Today, more than 100 different radioactive isotopes are produced by the various AEC laboratories and distributed by the Atomic Energy Commission. The prices of the various isotopes vary with the type, purity, and amount of activity; however, most radioisotopes are not expensive. For example, the purchase price of a 500-millicure source of cobalt-60 for radiographic testing will run about $50. There will be an additional charge of approximately $35 and up, to enclose it in a capsule, $10 for handling and shipping charges from the source of supply and $400 to $500 for the monitoring instruments and storage containers. LICENSES A byproduct material license is required in connection with the distribution, possession and use of radioactive isotopes. This requirement is set forth in the regulations which have been developed and published in the Federal Register and title 10, Code of Federal Regulations, part 30. The prospective user submits his license application form to AEC, giving information on the kind and amount of radioistope desired, the proposed use of th material, his training for safe utilization of such activity, instruments available for measurement of radiation, and the procedures to be used in assuring radiation safety. A license for possession and use of the material is issued only after careful review of the application gives reasonable assurance that the material will be used properly and safely. SAFETY The safety problem is not as serious as many people believe. First, most industrial applications do not require high levels of radiation; and second, some radioisotopes are shipped in the form of a ready-to-use tool so that the hazards are easily controlled. The fact that these materials can be handled with safety has been demonstrated by the excellent safety records of the AEC Oak Ridge and Hanford plants, where millions of curies (a unit of measurement of radiation activity) are handled, and several thousand industrial plants, where fractions of curies are being handled with rather simple health-safety precautions. The activities of AEC radiological safety specialists complement the licensing control procedure. These specialists visit users and offer advice and assistance |