[ RadSafe ] 10 rem from lightning?? (UNCLASSIFIED)

[Perle, Sandy]

Considering all of the dosimeters that are carried onto an aircraft, either worn, put in carry-on or checked luggage, as well as all of the dosimeters sent to and from a facility for processing, world-wide, I've never seen a situation with a film, TLD or CR39 where this proposed anomalous exposure has occurred, and this is based on tens of millions plus dosimeter readings, both here and at my previous employer, Florida Power and Light. Lots of lightning strikes. Therefore, I question the entire premise as being non-substantiated.

Regards,

Sandy

-----------------------------------
Sander C. Perle
President
Mirion Technologies
Dosimetry Services Division
2652 McGaw Avenue
Irvine, CA 92614

+1 (949) 296-2306 (Office)
+1 (949) 296-1144 (Fax)

Mirion Technologies: http://www.mirion.com/


-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu [mailto:radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu] On Behalf Of Brad Keck
Sent: Tuesday, March 30, 2010 2:44 PM
To: radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu
Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] 10 rem from lightning?? (UNCLASSIFIED)

Ted,  That is an excellent observation.  Someone, somewhere should have a
record of an authentic film badge that was on board during a lightning
strike, given the level of interest in this issue and the broad availability
to airline/transport employees, or people who where their badge
off-premises.  So can anyone on the listserve provide an authentic badge
exposure during one of these strikes midflight; with - or without - the 10 R
dose?

Bradly D. Keck, PhD, CHP



-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu
[mailto:radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu] On Behalf Of Ted de Castro
Sent: Tuesday, March 30, 2010 1:05 PM
To: radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu
Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] 10 rem from lightning?? (UNCLASSIFIED)

This should NOT be a controversy to the members of this listserver - but
a known fact one way or the other!

As Health Physicsists we run the dosimetry programs!

The reports I've heard of x-rays from lightning are indications from
electronic instruments and lightning also has a powerful EMP - so the
results COULD be ambiguous!  BUT and indication from a passive dosimeter
would be unambiguous and impossible to miss!

I ran the dosimetry department at a national laboratory for a few years
were we encouraged people to take their badges home with them.  This was
also in the day when we still used film and the image from the film
spoke volumes about the nature of the exposure.  It gave indications of
energy, size of the source and motion relative to the source during
exposure - as well as exposure information.  In a facility where the
vast majority of indications ran from 0 to trivial - any multi REM
exposure was quite noticeable and one from a point source with no motion
indications simply could not be missed.

Given the frequency of aircraft strikes reported and the number of
people we had traveling with their badges as evidenced by the number of
airport x-ray exposure I investigated - there is a good probability that
I should have seen one of these.  For this group as a whole I'd suggest
that IF the exposure were in the multi REM area - that it is a virtual
certainty that someone here would have encountered such and anomalous
exposure - or do we all just get multi REM exposures everyday??


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