Re: Demise of UNSCEAR?

mark.hogue@SRS.GOV wrote:

> ...

> On the other hand, wearing anticontamination clothing frequently leads to

> unsafe situations and diminished ability to perform quality work. Need I

> cite examples?

Wearing unnecessary protective clothing is NOT good ALARA. Neither is wearing unnecessary

respiratory protection. Two principles are used:

1. The important index is the TEDE, which includes both internal and external contamination.

Before respirators are prescribed to protect against airborne radioactive material, an evaluation

is performed, looking at the TEDE for the respirator and nonrespirator cases. The impact of

respirators on job completion time is accounted for. Low level personal contaminations ("percons")

are a nuisance, but are generally NOT a contributor to TEDE. Thus, "ALARA percons" are tolerated

if they reduce the TEDE.

2. The overall safety of the worker is priority 1. We've learned lessons from instances where

loose fitting protective clothing resulted in personal injuries for persons working near rotating

equipment. In such cases protective clothing is minimized or special precautions are taken.

Please cite examples. Good ALARA is learning lessons from our mistakes.

The opinions expressed are strictly mine.

It's not about dose, it's about trust.

Curies forever.

Bill Lipton

liptonw@dteenergy.com

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