RE: Demise of UNSCEAR?

["Jacobus, John (NIH/OD/ORS)" <jacobusj@ors.od.nih.gov>]

Jerry,

I personally would not mind receiving up to 50 mSv/yr.  However, I do

deliberately try to get that much exposure in in the course of my work as a

health physicist.  (Actually, it is getting harder and harder for me to get

any exposures these days, but that is fine also.)  I used to practicing

ALARA, such as staying out of the room while watching PET procedures,

recommending procedures to reduce workers exposures while doing labeling

experiments, etc.  Generally, such ALARA practices, at least at my place are

not significantly expensive, and I think the exercise in going through the

process is important.  For the workers, I hope it encourages them to think

about doing things safely, not only in working with chemicals and biological

material.  For me, I get a chance to think and work at task that are really

health physics issues and problems.



By the way, I have not seen any examples where not practicing ALARA would

save resources.  I firmly believe that resources ($$) would be squandered in

other ways.  Look how we when from a budget surplus to a budget deficient.

The "big" tax rebate we receive last year could have been put to better use,

like improved public health and education.  By I am not cynical.



-- John 

John Jacobus, MS

Certified Health Physicist 

3050 Traymore Lane

Bowie, MD  20715-2024



E-mail:  jenday1@email.msn.com (H)      



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

From: Jerry Cohen [mailto:jjcohen@prodigy.net]

Sent: Thursday, October 03, 2002 2:53 PM

To: Jacobus, John (NIH/OD/ORS); 'RadSafe'

Subject: Re: Demise of UNSCEAR?





ALARA is not intended to control high dose levels. That's what dose limits

are supposed to do 

IMO, anything <5.0 rem/yr  is not worth worrying about. 

On the contrary, ALARA doesn't really improve safety performance. More

likely, it causes the squandering of limited resources toward solving

non-problems; resources that could be beneficially applied elsewhere.

. . .

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