[ RadSafe ] Re: Fw: Someone just responded to your comment

[Mercado, Don]

John Jacobus wrote: 

>Don,
>Read what I said.  I do not think about the LNT when I
>make decisions.  I follow good work practices.  

If you are using ALARA, you do. Follow the logic here. When deciding
what a "good work practice" is, you make a judgment as to what safety
requirements are reasonable to impose, balancing cost against safety
(risk vs. benefit). Is practice X better than practice Y. For each
practice you evaluate time necessary, personnel requirements,
facilities, equipment, (costs) vs. personnel exposures expected
(benefits?), etc. You choose the practice which has the best payoff. If
practice X costs $1000 and 100 mrem to a worker, and practice Y costs
$2000 and 50 mrem, which is the better practice? LNT extremists would
say practice Y bec any cost is reasonable to reduce dose. On the other
hand non-LNT fans would say practice X bec there is no additional risk
between 50 and 100 mrem. So you make your decision on which is a "best
practice" based on what is reasonable risk, based on your beliefs in LNT
theory.  

>I do not understand your first example, but if you
>want an answer, I would not change the work practices
>to save the dose.  Did you?

How do you answer a question you don't understand? ;^) I base my
decisions on risk vs. benefit. The regs say it is ok for a rad worker to
get (within reason) 5 rem per year. That's a big range of allowable
exposures. Since there's no risk up to 5 rem (minus LNT terrorist
threats :^) ) my guys have a lot of freedom to do what they need to do
to get the work done. They do, quickly and efficiently, at low cost to
the programs.

>As for the second example, we do a lot of work with
>P-32.  The $100 shielding can by you a lot of savings
>as the shielding last about 15 years.

What are you saving? Money? Extremity exposure? What is the payoff time
for that $100 investment?

>If you are looking for remote radiation detectors, try
>a Primalert. 
>http://www.elimpex.com/products/radiation-therapy/primerli.pdf
>It will save you dose and time.  

I'm familiar with Primalert's products. I'm not looking for one bec it
isn't reasonable to spend that much to reduce doses at that level, ala
LNT-is-false reasoning. How much does it cost to put that system into
place that I don't need in the first place? Couldn't I do more good by
donating the money to the hurricane victims?

>Sounds like you are thinking about ALARA and not LNT.
No, I use LNT to help me decide what is reasonable. If you are below the
regulatory limits, reducing dose further isn't necessarily a reasoned
action, and a non-LNT fan would say there's no science to support any
action. But regulators, management and lawyers being what they are, you
have to factor that into the equation of risk vs. benefits as well.