Radioactivity in Cat Litter

Year
2024
Author(s)
Ahmed Tasfir - Chemistry Department, Queensborough Community College of the City University of New York
Daletsi Reyes - Chemistry Department, Queensborough Community College of the City University of New York
John Aloi - Radiological Control Division, Brookhaven National Laboratory
Sharon Lall-Ramnarine - Chemistry Department, Queensborough Community College of the City University of New York
Paul Sideris - Chemistry Department, Queensborough Community College of the City University of New York
Abstract

A common absorbent in cat litter is bentonite. Bentonite is a mixture whose components are predominantly swelling clays known as sodium- and calcium-montmorillonites. Clays and minerals can include radioisotopes that contribute to terrestrial radiation - a source of natural background radiation. In this project, a handheld survey meter was used to measure the radiation, in counts per minute, of several commercially available cat litter products. Preliminary results show that the background-corrected counts per minute ranged from 26-46. This project is based upon work supported by the NNSA Minority Serving Institutions Partnership Program under Award No. NA0004162. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this project are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the DOE, NNSA, or the U.S. Government.