[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

FW: ALARA and "what is safe enough"



FYI All,



Per the request below. 



Linda Sewell



-----Original Message-----

From: Goff, Tom [mailto:Tom.Goff@wipp.ws]

Sent: Monday, March 11, 2002 8:40 AM

To: Sewell, Linda

Subject: RE: ALARA and "what is safe enough"





Thank you much; I'm sure the others on RadSafe would also be interested.



Tom



-----Original Message-----

From: Sewell, Linda [mailto:LMS1@pge.com]

Sent: Monday, March 11, 2002 8:39 AM

To: 'Goff, Tom'

Subject: RE: ALARA and "what is safe enough"





Dave Weidis from Jose and Weidis is the usual one giving the PEPs on this

subject.  But the HPS Journal had an excellent issue devoted to litigation

within the past year.  I believe Dave has written an article for Radiation

Protection Management and the ANS periodical, Nuclear News, had a good run

down a couple of years ago.  Unfortunately, I can't give any more details

here at work, everything is at home.  I'll try and run them down sometime

this week.



Linda





-----Original Message-----

From: Goff, Tom [mailto:Tom.Goff@wipp.ws]

Sent: Monday, March 11, 2002 7:33 AM

To: Sewell, Linda

Subject: RE: ALARA and "what is safe enough"





Do you have a recerence on this????



tom



-----Original Message-----

From: Sewell, Linda [mailto:LMS1@pge.com]

Sent: Monday, March 11, 2002 8:27 AM

To: 'Goff, Tom'

Subject: RE: ALARA and "what is safe enough"





Hi Tom,



Your recollections are correct.  From a legal perspective the standard of

care or the duty owed is the information contained in the appropriate

regulations.  There have been several attempts to litigate something else,

but that is where we are now.  If ALARA were to be judged the standard of

care it would become a very subjective issue since one person's definition

of ALARA might be quite different from a plaintiffs lawyer or jury.



Linda



Linda M. Sewell, CHP

Diablo Canyon Power Plant

MS 119/1/122

PO Box 56

Avila Beach,  CA  93424

805.545.4315 (voice)

805.545.2618 (fax)

mailto:lms1@pge.com







-----Original Message-----

From: Goff, Tom [mailto:Tom.Goff@wipp.ws]

Sent: Monday, March 11, 2002 6:11 AM

To: 'Sandy Perle'; radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu

Subject: RE: ALARA and "what is safe enough"





I remember a few HPS meetings ago a presentation where the legal "Standard

of care" is not ALARA but maintaining personnel within legal limits.  Does

anyone else recall that presentation and is that true"



Tom Goff



-----Original Message-----

From: Sandy Perle [mailto:sandyfl@EARTHLINK.NET]

Sent: Saturday, March 09, 2002 2:17 PM

To: radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu

Subject: ALARA and "what is safe enough"





> The question should be "What is safe enough  (ie ALARA)?" not "What is

> safe?".



One can not equate ALARA and "what is safe enough". They are not synonymous.

In 

facility A the ALARA goal need not be the same as facility B or C or D.

ALARA was 

never deemed to be considered equivalent to what is considered to be a safe

level. 

Please also note that the NRC (rightly so) removed the prescriptive levels

of what 

was to be considered ALARA in 10CFR20, as was once proposed.



When we as a profession start to promulgate the concept of ALARA and being

safe, 

we run the serious mistake of also equating these 2 concepts as being the

basis for 

litigation claims being judged valid or not. If you are not deemed being

ALARA, then 

you, by your own definition, are therefore not treating your staff, or

fellow workers, as 

working in a safe environment.



Please don't equate the 2 concepts. One can determine what is ALARA for

their own 

facility, knowing what the environment is. One can not deem what is safe. If

they can, 

I've never met that person. Unless one considers zero to be safe, and there

are 

those who would state, and have stated, that zero is not safe, that there

needs to be 

some level of exposure.



Food for thought?

**************************************************************************

Sandy Perle				Tel:(714) 545-0100 / (800) 548-5100



Director, Technical			Extension 2306 			

ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Service	Fax:(714) 668-3149 	                

ICN Pharmaceuticals, Inc.		E-Mail: sandyfl@earthlink.net 	

ICN Plaza, 3300 Hyland Avenue  	E-Mail: sperle@icnpharm.com          

Costa Mesa, CA 92626



Personal Website: http://sandy-travels.com

ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Website: http://www.dosimetry.com



************************************************************************

You are currently subscribed to the Radsafe mailing list. To unsubscribe,

send an e-mail to Majordomo@list.vanderbilt.edu  Put the text "unsubscribe

radsafe" (no quote marks) in the body of the e-mail, with no subject line.

You can view the Radsafe archives at http://www.vanderbilt.edu/radsafe/





************************************************************************

You are currently subscribed to the Radsafe mailing list. To unsubscribe,

send an e-mail to Majordomo@list.vanderbilt.edu  Put the text "unsubscribe

radsafe" (no quote marks) in the body of the e-mail, with no subject line.

You can view the Radsafe archives at http://www.vanderbilt.edu/radsafe/

************************************************************************

You are currently subscribed to the Radsafe mailing list. To unsubscribe,

send an e-mail to Majordomo@list.vanderbilt.edu  Put the text "unsubscribe

radsafe" (no quote marks) in the body of the e-mail, with no subject line.

You can view the Radsafe archives at http://www.vanderbilt.edu/radsafe/