For several weeks, I've been following the blue topaz story waiting for something that said I needed to alert my friends....ok, here it is...
Patti
On July 26, leaders from the jewelry industry will meet with members of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in Rockville, Md., to discuss irradiated gem materials, specifically, the testing of imported blue topaz.
Recently, many retail jewelers were informed by Jewelers Vigilance Committee
that they may be selling blue topaz in noncompliance with NRC
regulations, i.e., without documentation that they had been tested by
an NRC-licensed facility. JVC suggested that, while there is no
apparent health risk, retailers may want to consider removing said
topaz from stock. As a result, many retailers pulled blue topaz from
their shelves and are wondering how it may affect Christmas sales.
Although it’s likely that none of the blue topaz for sale in this
country has been tested—and there is some concern about material that
wouldn’t pass muster—jewelers shouldn’t panic just yet.
“We’re on it,” says Cecilia Gardner, chief executive officer and
general counsel for Jewelers Vigilance Committee. “We’re leading a
delegation to a meeting with the NRC. We hope to get some results from
that meeting that will help people decide what to do going forward.”
“Generally these stones are not a health risk,” says David McIntyre,
public affairs officer for the NRC. “We just want to make sure there
are safeguards in place when dealing with irradiated materials.”
McIntyre notes a growing concern that gems are “out there” that “are no
longer within this regulatory framework.” Of course, even if jewelers
wanted to be compliant, there are no NRC-licensed facilities for
testing blue topaz, most of which comes from overseas. While it has
been reported that topazes from certain localities in Nigeria and China
have remained radioactive long after the normal cooling-down
period—some could potentially need 10 years to cool off before falling
under the limits set by the NRC—reportedly the levels of radiation in
those stones is still low enough not to pose a significant health risk.
Nevertheless, some gem dealers, such as Eric Braunwart, president of Columbia Gem House
in Vancouver, Wash., still think gems should be tested before being
sold. He’s tested his own stones for almost two decades, using an
instrument called a Gem Alert.
“We’re really not in an enforcement mode here,” says McIntyre. He
hasn’t asked anyone to stop selling blue topaz. “We’re really in an
information-gathering mode.”
McIntyre adds, “We want to get together with industry people for
three reasons. First, we want to re-establish arrangements whereby
somebody would apply for an exempt distribution license to be a
clearinghouse for all gems coming into the country, and do this to make
sure that these gems are within the regulatory limits. We would like to
speak with the jewelry industry to determine whether there is a company
that would be willing to do this service.
“Second, we need to be reassured some way that the stones that are
already in distribution do not pose any health and safety issue,
especially if it’s true that there are gems that have come in that do
still have some residual radiation.”
Timing is important for the NRC and the jewelry business. “We know
that the Christmas season is coming up,” says McIntyre. “And that’s a
big sales point for the industry. We’re sensitive to that.”
The third point of business is an upcoming regulation for
accelerator-irradiated materials. “There’s a new deadline, which is a
totally different regulatory issue altogether, that just happens to
wrap the gemstone industry inside,” McIntyre notes. Prior to now, the
NRC has not regulated accelerator- produced radioactive material. The
Energy Policy Act of 2005 gave the NRC the authority over
accelerator-produced radioactive material. Most of that is medical
isotopes. While gemstones may be a very big issue for the jewelry
industry, it is a smaller subset of what’s being done with particle
accelerators. Congress gave the NRC 18 months to come up with a
regulation, putting it on a fast track. The NRC has approved the final
rules implementing it. This can be found on the NRC Web site
under “key topics.” There should be a reference to a “tool kit” on
accelerator materials. This new regulation should take affect sometime
around the new year. Accelerator-irradiated (also electron-irradiated)
gems will need some kind of regulatory framework similar to
reactor-irradiated gemstones. (Think diamond, kunzite, morganite,
prasiolite, tourmaline, etc.)
According to the NRC Web site, meeting participants include members
of the Division of Material Safety and State Agreements and of the
Division of Interagency Liaison and Rulemaking; Rick Krementz,
president of the American Gem Trade Association;
Cecilia Gardner, chief executive officer and general counsel of
Jewelers Vigilance Committee; and Matt Runci, president and chief
executive officer of Jewelers of America.
The public is invited to observe this meeting and will have one or
more opportunities to communicate with the NRC after the business
portion, but before the meeting is adjourned.
“Your readers don’t have to worry about NRC agents in blue
windbreakers with big yellow NRC letters on the back coming into their
stores,” chuckles McIntyre. “And no, individual retailers will not need
to be licensed by the NRC.”
For more information, visit www.nrc.gov, www.palagems.com/blue_topaz.htm, and www.modernjeweler.com/publication/article.jsp?pubId=1&id=312.
