[ RadSafe ] San Clemente panel urges radiation monitoring in new city blueprint

[Ted de Castro]

I'd worry about the competency of those handling the equipment and the data.

I built a perimeter neutron and gamma monitoring system ay LBNL - the 
units were housed in sheds built for previous versions that were much 
larger and delicate.  The ones I had designed were smaller, used little 
power, and were built to stand SOME environmental insult.  Since the 
only thing they really needed was a little power and a communication 
line they could be easily adapted to this purpose - just seal them in an 
insulated box with Peltier heating/cooling and a heat reflective shield 
- ie. a foil coated electric picnic cooler!!  and mount them atop 
power/phone poles - would work VERY well.

HOWEVER - the instrumentation and its limitations still need to be 
understood.  No matter HOW environmental proof you make it and how well 
you protect it you will still have episodes of spurious counts and you 
have to be able to analyze and/or recognize these - this is just the 
nature of active monitors.  I would of course also include passive monitors.

Of course to the antis - every count burst is a dire nuclear event and 
every rational and logical attempt to discard spurious data is a 
cover-up -- and THIS I think will be the largest problem.

That being said - its the kind of project I think I'd enjoy doing  - 
with good management support/protection of course!

On 2/17/2012 10:12 AM, Lawrence Jacobi wrote:
> I can't decide if this is a good idea or not.  I don't see any harm in the city doing its own radiation monitoring, but I can see where it might cause confusion if it is done poorly.  And, during an actual offsite release from a radiological facility, it could be a source of hysteria if it is not properly coordinated with the federal, state and local emergency response units.
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> San Clemente panel urges radiation monitoring in new city blueprint
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