Re: respiratory tract dose

["Mitchell Davis" <radiation@cox.net>]

Having been a previous "meter swinger", I feel I must weigh in on this.  I

wish more of "us" were meter swingers.  Too many "HP's" out there today

don't know which end of an RO-2 is up let alone which end to point at the

source!!!...That includes some PhD's and CHP's...Someone who has never swung

a meter doesn't know what the people we supervise go thorough...what must be

done...what info we want and require...I for one know my limitations and

don't practice outside those bounds...none should...but to make the blanket

statement that "meter swingers" don't necessarily know what they are talking

about, is in itself a degrading and professionally humiliating statement to

begin with...I would weigh more significantly the word of a field tech than

that of a BS HP on first contact to allow me to make an operational

decision.  Don't let the book outweigh the practical folks...!!



Mitchell W. Davis, RRPT

Health Physicist

432-697-3523

432-349-4824 Cell

radiation@cox.net

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

From: "Vincent King" <slavak@attbi.com>

To: <radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu>

Sent: Wednesday, May 14, 2003 12:51 PM

Subject: Re: respiratory tract dose





> Radsafers,

>

> I think the point has been that performing internal dose calculations are

> more complicated than grabbing a quick reference or formula and popping

out

> the right answer, not that people don't want to help.  Internal dosimetry

is

> an entire specialty of health physics.  People who have the required

"skills

> and knowledge" understand this, and some have been tactfully (or not so

> tactfully) trying to express this.

>

> Since the original question mentioned licensing, I have to assume that NRC

> or Agreement State oversight is somehow involved.    This implies that an

> acceptable approach - from the regulators point of view - is necessary

(not

> to mention that if this "estimate" is done incorrectly, there could be

legal

> ramifications down the road for whatever facility/company is involved).

>

> I commend Mr. Creeds efforts to attempt to address his issue, and I'm not

> knocking the exchange of available technical information via Radsafe.  But

> assuming a non-HP can be taught to perform internal dosimetry calculations

> with a quick Radsafe answer crosses the line.  I'm an EMT, but if I had a

> family member who required surgery, I wouldn't log in to a medical list

> server to try to get tips on how to do it myself.  In fact, if I'm

ethical,

> my limited medical training would compel me to seek a qualified

specialist.

> Not knowing the details of Mr. Creed's situation, I won't speculate on how

> rigorous his answer needs to be - that's his call.

>

> I also agree that any rudeness toward him is completely unwarranted (and,

> for Health Physics Society members, also stands in contrast to the HPS

> ethic: "Members will gladly accept every opportunity to increase public

> understanding of radiation protection and the objectives of the Society").

> But I find myself in the position of having to agree with Bill Lipton's

> point that too many "meter swingers" think they can answer any health

> physics question, regardless of their areas and levels of competence.

>

> Vincent King,

> Grand Junction, CO

>

>

> ----- Original Message -----

> From: "Mercado, Don" <don.mercado@lmco.com>

> To: "'William V Lipton'" <liptonw@DTEENERGY.COM>; "Kevin Creed"

> <creed@humboldt.edu>

> Cc: <radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu>; "Luke George" <tlg2@humboldt.edu>

> Sent: Wednesday, May 14, 2003 9:38 AM

> Subject: RE: respiratory tract dose

>

>

>  He wasn't

> > asking you to do the work for him, just supply the formulas and

references

> > to him and he'd do the work! Are you so unsure of your own skills and

> > knowledge that you can't even do that????

>

>

>

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>



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