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I believe the HPS once endorsed J/m3 for WL
and Jh/m3 for WLM. Of course, h is not an SI unit (even though its use is
still permitted) and the correct unit should be Js/m3. People get paid by the
hour, not by the second, so Js/m3 is not very convenient.
A while ago, it looked like Canada was going to
adopt SI units and we once wrote an entire EIS in J/m3 and Jh/m3. It is easy to
do theoretical calculations in those units. The problem is that the technicians
on the ground don't have any means of measuring J/m3. They collect radon
progeny on a filter and then count the activity in a portable counter. The
formulas that they use for converting the counts to airborne activity either
have never been converted to produce J/m3, or the converted formulas have not
been widely distributed and the regulatory agencies have not given their stamp
of approval on the formulas.
The technicians would therefore have to calculate
the airborne radiation in WL and then convert it to SI units. This defeats the
purpose of adopting SI units, which is to make things simpler.
The SI units for radon progeny never caught on and
we ended up converting the predictions back to WLM. [And yes, there were
some conversion mistakes, but of course these happened after I quit the company
:).]
My guess is that WL will be one of the last things
to get converted to SI, but they will get converted.
Kai
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Tuesday, April 08, 2003 8:17
AM
Subject: Re: Bq soon
This is the best posting I've seen on this subject. I
remember the top down, "Do it my way or else..." campaign in the 1970's.
My facility had a full time, "metrification coordinator." I was
reprimanded for not supporting metrification with sufficient enthusiasm.
That, more than anything, is what turned me against SI units.
Regarding "Working Levels." - If there was ever a unit that needed to be
SI'd, this is it. On the other hand, I think that most persons, other
than those who earn a living from Rn testing and remediation, agree that this
is a solution looking for a problem, EPA scare ads notwithstanding.
The opinions expressed are strictly mine.
It's not about dose, it's
about trust.
Curies forever.
Bill Lipton
liptonw@dteenergy.com
mark.hogue@SRS.GOV wrote:
I think
Bjorn gave us the best flavor of what it takes to get used to a
system.
The reason it's taking so long for
the US to go metric is because the big push in the '70's (when I was in
grade school) was such a flop. Instead of trying to give everyone a feel for
the 'new' units, we were told, hey, look, an inch is 2.54 centimeters and a
gallon is 3.7854 liters! No problem! Here's a table for you to memorize.
Naturally, that made no sense to anyone. Plus, manufacturers objected to the
real cost: retooling factories for metric sizes on nuts and bolts,
etc.
Now, I have to think we've come a
long way. Most people who use wrenches have already bought a metric set and
maybe wish they wouldn't have to keep the english set too.
By the way, for radon measurements,
is there anything metric that captures the real meaning of a working
level?
Mark G. Hogue, CHP
mark.hogue@srs.gov
"But we surely overrate the
usefulness of what we like to call "stimulation" and underrate the need for
time, peace of mind, mature reflection." - Susan Haack
"DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed
are mine and do not necessarily represent Westinghouse Savannah River Co. or
the United States Department of Energy."
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