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Re: LNT and resources [Was: Scientific responsibility]



Many thanx for your response.  I've had the same experience.  When I was with

a DOE contractor, and reviewed research projects, the researchers sometimes

claimed that my safety requirements would kill the project.  (However, they

didn't call me a "criminal.")  Never happened!



The opinions expressed are strictly mine.

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

Curie forever.



Bill Lipton

liptonw@dteenergy.com



John Jacobus wrote:



> 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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