[ RadSafe ] NYC Council bill on detectors: Simple question

[Doug Aitken]

(I am only going to comment on radiation meters)

Sadly, you point out the problem of training of users and the general
paranoia attached to "radiation".....

I can see some form of legislation that would register meters distributed to
emergency services, law enforcement, etc., who would be called on to assess
specific threats, and require that they are maintained/ calibrated and
operated by competent individuals. And I can also see the need for some
controls on "fixed" installations such as portal monitors.

As most of you know, regulations already require licensees to calibrate all
their radiation monitors/meters (and ensure adequate training of the users),
but AFAIK there has never been a requirement to register individual meters
(although probably most licensees already have pretty comprehensive listings
of these meters in order to keep control of their status). 

As for individuals who purchase meters for their own use, this again boils
down to training (or a basic comprehension of their use). Perhaps the manual
for any of these "amateur" meters should include a short section on natural
radiation and likely readings to be seen...... 
Then queries to experts could be diverted with a simple "read the manual"
.........

Regards
Doug
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Doug Aitken     Cell phone: 713-562-8585
QHSE Advisor
D&M Operations Support           
Schlumberger Technology Corporation
300 Schlumberger Drive
Sugar Land TX 77030

Home office: 713-797-0919  Home Fax: 713-797-1757
______________________________________________


-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl] On Behalf
Of grahnk at comcast.net
Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2008 12:19 PM
To: Bjorn Cedervall; radsafe at radlab.nl
Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] NYC Council bill on detectors: Simple question

So they control the quality of the information and know what's (models,
units) out there, and who's qualified to read the instruments, and to avoid
using resources for false alarms.

We get calls all the time for people with their own instruments that think
their house is radioactive because they're measuring background or their
building materials.  I've also had people (firefighters) misread their new
Ludlum 2241 digital units, only look at the number and not the units and
request our emergency reponse people to provide assistance.  I responded to
a scrap yard last year that was convinced they found a truck with a 20 R/hr
source in it with their new instrument.  It was a source, but only 200
microR/hr.  They mis-read the scale and the units on the display.

So I understand the motivation for the proposed NYC rules, but I don't agree
with it.  If they were going to implement any version of this,  it should be
that they only respond to alarms from qualified, registered sources.  And if
they let an HP answer the phone, instead of a police officer, they would
know to ask questions (about make, model, last calibration, function check,
scale settings, units etc.) before sending in the cavalry.

Kelly Grahn
Illinois Emergency Management Agency, Divison of Nuclear Safety

-------------- Original message -------------- 
From: Bjorn Cedervall <bcradsafers at hotmail.com> 

> 
> I apologize for asking something that many of you probably understand 
> - I hesitate to go through all the previous postings/responses to the
subject: 
> 
> Can anyone summarize in 2-3 lines what the point would be to register 
> Geiger counters? (I don't understand it) 
> 
> Wouldn't it be better if there were lots of them "out there" so that the
general 
> public learns more about natural background radiation? 
> 
> My personal comment only, 
> 
> Bjorn Cedervall bcradsafers at hotmail.com 
> 
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