RE: RADSAFE digest 3384 (extremity dose)

[Glen.Vickers@ucm.com]

How would a finger tip badge work?  Wouldn't you lose the sense of touch,
drop your container, and then require skin dose calcs?

Glen Vickers
glen.vickers@ucm.com

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	John R Laferriere [SMTP:John.R.Laferriere@dupontpharma.com]
> Sent:	Wednesday, August 23, 2000 2:19 PM
> To:	Multiple recipients of list
> Subject:	Re: RADSAFE digest 3384 (extremity dose)
> 
> Bruce Busby wrote, regarding suggested use of wrist badges to replace
> rings:
> 
> "Thanks for the note. We have looked at that, but a lot of our sources are
> small. Do you worry about being called to task for the same problem as
> Mallinckrodt had, by measuring so far from the finger tips?"
> 
> If individuals are directly handling unshielded sources without remote
> handling, 
> then fingertip badges are needed (assuming significant dose is being
> received*).
> Our policy is to discourage any direct handling of unshielded activity at
> any 
> activity levels, not just because it's good practice, but because
> otherwise we
> can't accurately measure the dose.  One example: 40 microcuries (1.5 MBq)
> of Y-90 in a HPLC micro-sample vial (~0.2 ml glass vial) delivered 90 mrad
> to
> a Landauer X-8 TLD chip in a minute, with the chip held against the side
> of the 
> vial.  That's over 5 rad/h (0.05 Gy/h) from a 40 microcurie sample!  Watch
> out
> for any high energy beta in a thin wall container (e.g. P-32 in microfuge
> tubes),
> even at seemingly trivial activity levels.
> 
> *and assuming that fingertips are used to handle the activity, rather than
> the
> entire hand.  If the whole hand is in contact with the source, then the
> ring badge
> has a decent chance to measure the dose properly.  With physically small
> sources, the likelihood of fingertip handling increases.
> 
> 
> And Jim Barnes wrote:
> 
> "Several years ago I remember seeing a finger dosimeter 
> that was embedded in a plastic finger sleeve that fit 
> over the top of the finger.  They were very flexible and 
> fairly strong.
> 
> I don't know if they were ever released commercially 
> (anybody know???), but if so, they might be a good 
> substitute for rings."
> 
> Vinten dosimetry (in England?) made these.  I tried tracking them down and
> 
> heard that maybe Bicron had them.  I was unsuccessful in finding anyone
> who was willing to offer them as a dosimetry product unless you bought 
> your own reader etc for big bucks.  Maybe I just talked to the wrong
> person.
> If you have better luck, let us know.
> 
> Regards,
> 
> John R. Laferriere, CHP
> DuPont Pharmaceuticals Co.
> Medical Imaging Division
> john.r.laferriere@dupontpharma.com
> (978) 671-8316   fax (978) 671-8149
> ************************************************************************
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> information can be accessed at http://www.ehs.uiuc.edu/~rad/radsafe.html


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