[ RadSafe ] " Technology to detect radiation has progressed "

[Steven Dapra]

Aug. 23


At 09:12 AM 8/23/07 -0500, Geo>K0FF wrote:

>----- Original Message ----- From: <nssihou at aol.com>
>To: <idias at interchange.ubc.ca>; <neildm at id.doe.gov>; <sjd at swcp.com>; 
><brent.rogers at ansto.gov.au>; <radsafe at radlab.nl>
>Sent: Thursday, August 23, 2007 6:17 AM
>Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] " Technology to detect radiation has progressed "
>
>>
>>Most scrap yards now have radiation monitors and check metal as it enters 
>>the site. Unfortunately, the radioactive material is not always seen if 
>>shielded by a lot of other steel scarp. Texas has had several source? 
>>melts over the last few years. Before radiation monitors, I'm sure lots 
>>of radioactive incidents went undetected.

[edit]

>>The bigger problem is that we have larger and larger numbers of radiation 
>>monitoring devices and fewer and fewer qualified persons operating them.
>
>**(Geo) Correct, this is part of a learning curve issue, and will be 
>addressed by smarter equipment, not by better trained personnel. And so it 
>goes.
>Check Radsafe Archives for comment by J. Marshall Reber on this subject.

         Smarter equipment can not take the place of better trained 
operators.  Operators are needed who can interpret what they see (detect) 
and --- we hope --- apply some reasoning power to it.  Arbitrarily relying 
on equipment may cause more problems than it will solve.  Can a machine 
tell when it has a false positive?  Can it distinguish between NORM and the 
dreaded "dirty bomb"?  What happens when a car carrying a cancer patient 
who has undergone rad therapy goes past the detector?  (That's how this 
thread got started.  Remember?)

Steven Dapra
sjd at swcp.com