What can cause Fixed Contamination to become airborne?

Fixed contamination refers to radioactive materials that are firmly attached to surfaces and not easily released. However, certain activities can disturb these materials and lead to them becoming airborne. Grinding and welding processes apply mechanical force and heat, respectively, which can generate dust or particles from contaminated surfaces. This disturbance can dislodge the fixed contamination and allow it to enter the air as aerosols, which poses a significant inhalation risk to workers in the vicinity.

In contrast, washing surfaces generally aims to remove contamination rather than disturb it into an airborne state, while minimizing air circulation works to keep contaminants settled and contained. Similarly, environmental conditions might influence how contamination settles or spreads, but they do not directly engage with fixed contamination in the manner that grinding and welding do, which actively disrupt the contaminated surface.