This method holds promise for detecting a variety of other chemical species in radioactive wastes, and for evaluating the safest way to isolate these radioactive elements from the environment. Released into the environment, Tc-99 is extremely damaging, traveling up the food chain, and causing cancer in humans.
Radioactive wastes are a growing problem throughout the world.
The problem is that technetium in cement takes on a form that is water-soluble. Chris Langton of the Savannah River Technology Center, and Sue Clark of Washington State University had developed a cement formulation for immobilizing waste that includes blast furnace slag and fly ash mixtures. The slag was supposedly a reducing agent, but they were not sure how effective it was. They didn't have a good technique to examine Tc in the cement-blast furnace slag mix. X-ray absorption spectroscopy is ideal for this problem.