RE: Radioisotopes in Medical Cardiac Testing

["Todd Brautigam" <tbrautigam@earthsciences.net>]

This isn't a problem unique to power plants. While performing final
clearance surveys in support of 2 different remediation projects, I have had
to ask people to leave because of medical tests they had taken. In one case,
the person was not even informed that a radionuclide had been used, and in
the other, the person (the Environmental Manager, of all people) was told
there would be no observable exposure outside his body. He actually put a
frisker into alarm from about 20 feet away. The exposure rate on his torso
was ~28 mR/hr. The result is that when I perform training prior to a
remediation project, I stress to the workers that they need to ask questions
of their Doctor when having any tests performed and if radioactive material
is used for their test, they should inform their supervisor. As a survey
practice, I casually walk an area with an exposure rate meter prior to
performing a survey just in case someone is present that may have had such
tests and is not part of the project.


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