RE: LNT and resources [Was: Scientific responsibility]

[John Jacobus <crispy_bird@YAHOO.COM>]

Grant,

I find your example a bit convoluted.  You shield and

monitor your workers to reduce expouses below some

regulatory limit.  I do not understand why you picked

3 mR/h at 6 inches.  Where I work, we do basic medical

and biological research, and do this kind of work all

the time.  



I have never heard of a medical research program that

could not be funded due to costs for safety,

radiological or not.  Have you?  When you talk about

programs that run $100k or more, the cost of shielding

boxes is "chump change."  



Again, have you heard of a program that was not

started due to cost of radiation protecion equipment?





--- "NIXON, Grant (Kanata)" <GNIXON@MDS.Nordion.com>

wrote:

> 

> Hi John,

> 

> Here is a very simple example:

> 

> Say you are in the cancer-fighting business and wish

> to try-out a promissing

> new technology. You wish to build a glove box to

> handle, say 10 Ci, of a

> radionuclide that, aside from its predomiantly

> low-energy spectrum, happens

> to have a very low-intensity (say, 0.01%/dis)

> high-energy component (say,

> 500 keV). 

> 

> Try designing a (transparent) glove box (or one with

> a see-through window)

> that effectively reduces the transmitted field to

> below 3 mR/h at 6 inches

> from the glove box surface, as required by

> legislation. You will find that

> the difficulty and cost associated with this simple

> task is very high

> indeed.

> 

> You state that you "do not accept" that the

> resources (read "cost") involved

> pose a detriment to society. Cost and profits

> determine whether projects get

> completed. Not completing a project due to the high

> capital cost of a new

> form of cancer treatment can prove an obvious case

> of where there may be a

> detriment to society.

> 

> Respectfully yours,

> 

> Grant

> 

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

> From: John Jacobus [mailto:crispy_bird@YAHOO.COM]

> Sent: Friday, June 20, 2003 8:17 AM

> To: radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu

> Subject: LNT and resources [Was: Scientific

> responsibility]

> 

> 

> I have a question for the group.  Can anyone give a

> idea how replacement of the LNT with a different

> model, e.g., threshold at 500 mrem or 5mSv, will

> change how business will be done in radiation

> protection?  What practices will change?  Surveys?

> Documentation of environmental monitoring? Staff? 

> What legislation and regulations will change?  

> 

> More importantly, how much cash will be saved?  I

> will

> not consider that the "resources" saved will be used

> for public good.

> 





=====

-- John

John Jacobus, MS

Certified Health Physicist

e-mail:  crispy_bird@yahoo.com



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