The expanding interest in studies of the effects of gamma radiation upon biological and chemical systems has encouraged the production of increasingly higher level sources for various institutions. Recently, at the University of Michigan, a ten-kilocurie cobalt-60 gamma radiation source has been installed and is now in routine operation. A brief discussion of some of the problems involved in installation and operation of such a source and some of the studies being undertaken is presented.

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The procedures and techniques used in a preoperational survey of the radiologic environment of the Enrico Fermi atomic power plant near Monroe, Michigan, and the results obtained in 1958 have been reported previously. This paper summarizes the results obtained in 1959, compares these with the results obtained in 1958, and outlines the modifications in the program. The survey was conducted for the Power Reactor Development Company of Detroit, Michigan, by the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF), Ann Arbor, Michigan. The data collected prior to routine operation of the reactor, scheduled to begin in 1961, provide basic information on the levels of radioactivity present in the environment and the kinds of variation to which these levels are subject. This information, in conjunction with continuing measurements of environmental radioactivity after routine operation has begun, should provide a sound basis for an evaluation of the impact of reactor operation on the radiologic environment. All samples have been analyzed for gross beta activity. In addition, radio‐chemical procedures have been used to provide a measure of the levels of specific radionuclides present in the environment. Particular emphasis here is on Sr90. A sample has been examined with a gamma spectrometer in order to identify specific radionuclides by their characteristic gamma radiation energies.

During a year of routine use of a 10-kilocurie, gamma-radiation source, operational problems have been encountered in control of radiation levels in nearby areas, control of pH and clarity of the water in the source storage well, breakdown of organic plastics under prolonged irradiation, and a discrepancy between nominal and apparent source strength. A short discussion of these problems and the resulting changes in operational procedures is presented.

The interaction of nuclear radiation with fuel-oxidant systems may cause increased rates of chemical reaction. Based on simple models for the interactions and the controlling rate processes, it is shown that change in overall reaction rate should be dependent upon the energy and activity of the radiation source. Only beta and alpha emitters are considered since, for gas phase reactions or for reactors of relatively small size, they are the more efficient sources. The problems involved in the use of radioactive materials in combustion research are discussed and, in particular, criteria for compatible design are established. The possible application of this technique to improve the performance of combustion devices is discussed in the light of the difficulties and results of experimental work in this field.