Vignettes of Early Radiation Workers

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DR. LAURISTON TAYLOR: This is another of the series entitled Vignettes of Early Radiation Workers, sponsored by the Bureau of Radiological Health. These consist of unrehearsed interviews with scientists working mostly in fields that have impinged upon the applications of ionizing radiation to diagnostic and therapeutic radiology.

Well, there's one last thing that I would like to have you talk about a little bit. This is some of your pretty recent work having to do with the treatment of municipal sludge, of all things. We've gone from the small, micro-operations of that now to the water plant dumps and whatnot. What about that?

DR. JOHN G. TRUMP: I used to believe that anyone that thought you could use high energy electrons to disinfect municipal sludge was balmy in the crumpet.

DR. LAURISTON TAYLOR: I would have agreed with you.

DR. JOHN G. TRUMP: But by four years ago, I was convinced it was economic and practical. And with wonderful support from the National Science Foundation, we have been investigating this, both at MIT in a scientific way, and at Deer Island, which is Boston's biggest treatment plant. Where we have an experimental electron disinfection facility capable of disinfecting, or designed to disinfect one third of Deer Island's sludge.