Cleaning of tritiated laboratory tools using a plasma decontamination facility

Decontamination of tritiated laboratory tools by an argon RF glow discharge has been examined. Chrome plated wrenches were contaminated by exposure to tritium glovebox environments for months prior to plasma cleaning. Surface activities were determined by dry smearing or by leaching in a 10% surfactant/water solution. An initial, smearable, surface activity of 36+/-19 μCi/m² was measured for tools from one glovebox. Tools extracted from a second glovebox had a smearable surface activity of 190+/-60 μCi/m² corresponding to a leachable activity of 1260+/-50 μCi/m². Ion fluxes to the vitiated surfaces ranged from 1 to 180 A.Hr/m² with energies of ⩽25 eV. The surface activities were reduced from 0.6 to 0.04 of their original value. No regrowth of activity was evident