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Re[2]: Alarms at Borders











We get a huge amount of radioactive materials every day. Number one alarm

is kitty litter (who'd a thunk it). Things like check sources, medical

radiopharmaceuticals etc, if properly manifested are no problem. If you are

carrying a CDV with an attached check source it could possibly set off an

alarm. The simple answer is to declare it as you are crossing. You may get

questioned, but the Officers are trained and usually can clear something

like this pretty quickly. There was a  detention at Boston Airport of a Rad

trainer who was carrying exempt sources in luggage, but there were so many

sources that the external readings exceeeded LQ shipment quantities. He was

detained and fined. (this was not an international flight, TSA and FAA were

the agencies involved, not CBP) Keep it legitimate, declare it and be open

with the Officers and you should have no problem.



____________________Reply Separator____________________

Subject:    Re: Alarms at Borders

Author:     "Richard L. Hess" <lists@richardhess.com>

Date:       1/12/2005 5:52 PM









       What are the legal limits at the border? Would the check source

       on an old

       Civil Defense CDV-700 Geiger Counter set off such an alarm? Is

       there any

       problem with bringing that across the border?



       The radium check sources have substantially reduced output due

       to the

       relatively short half-life, while the uranium check sources are

       essentially

       at their initial radioactivity.



       There isn't much indication on the CDV-700 at a distance of one

       foot, but

       right against the source it clicks like crazy with the shield

       open.



       Thanks!



       Richard



       At 02:31 PM 1/12/2005 -0500, Mccormick, Luke I wrote:









       >Please spread the word. Our Operating Directive states that

       each radiation

       >detection at a border will be investigated and resolved. Most

       all Customs

       >Officers wear pagers and we use a huge number of passive

       radiation

       >detectors in the form of portal monitors, cargo scanning

       devices, etc.

       >Everyone who sets off an alarm crossing the border is sent to

       secondary

       >until the Officers have determined if they are ligitimate.

       >Many, but not all nuclear medicine departments are providing

       patients with

       >letters explaining that the patients have received a

       radiopharmaceutical

       >and if we have questions to call the

       doctor/clinic/hospital.For those

       >carrying the documents we simpy verify that the office is

       ligitimate and

       >call to verify that the person was a patient there. We can

       identify many of

       >the radiopharmaceuticals by thier spectrum on site. These

       people pass

       >through pretty quickly. The people who don't have the

       documentation are

       >asked for the doctor/clinic name and we do the same thing but

       most do not

       >know the phone number of the clinic so they may be detained

       for quite a

       >while until we get everything straightened out. If you are a

       patient or

       >work at a nuc. med. facility, please make sure that the

       paperwork is given

       >to the patients and travel restrictions may cause them some

       delays.

       >Luke McCormick

       >

       >____________________Reply Separator____________________

       >Subject:    RE: question concerning stress tests

       >Author:     owner-radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu

       >Date:       1/12/2005 12:28 PM

       >

       >

       >

       >

       >

       >        Hal  & Phil,

       >

       >        Patients ARE setting off alarms NOW.  Happens a lot at

       the

       >        NY/Canadian border, day trippers coming back.  I heard

       one

       >        instance on the  Mexican California border near San

       Diego.  So

       >        far it seems the detectors  are set up at borders and

       customs

       >        stations in airports.

       >

       >

       >        Any opinions in this e-mail are solely those of the

       author, and

       >        are not represented as those of the VA Eastern

       Colorado HCS,

       >        the Dept. of  Veterans Affairs, or the US Government.

       >

       >        Peter G. Vernig, Radiation Safety  Officer, MS-115, VA

       Eastern

       >        Colorado Health Care System, 1055 Clermont St.

       Denver, CO

       >        80220, peter.vernig@med.va.gov, Phone= 303.399.8020

       x2447; Fax

       >        =  303.393.5026, alternate fax, 303.393.5248

       >

       >        "...whatever is true, whatever  is noble, whatever is

       lovely,

       >        whatever is admirable, if anything is found to be

       excellent or

       >        praiseworthy, let your mind dwell on these things."

       >

       >        Paul of  Tarsus

       >

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

       >        From:  owner-radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu

       >        [mailto:owner-radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu]On Behalf Of

       Careway,

       >        Harold  A. (GE Energy)

       >        Sent: Wednesday, January 12, 2005 9:30  AM

       >        To: Radsafe (E-mail)

       >        Subject: FW: question concerning  stress tests

       >

       >

       >        Phil sent:

       >

       >        Exposures from nuclear stress tests can be

       considerable, at

       >        least to those of us who have to explain and justify

       every

       >        last millirem to regulators and activists.

       >

       >        Several years ago I had a stress  test and made some

       post

       >        treatment measurements with a Bicron MicroR  meter.

       >

       >        Injections of 30 mCi of Tc-99m and  4 mCi of Tl-201

       result in a

       >        cumulative dose of ~600 mrem.  Seven (7)  hours after

       >        treatment, the exposure rate was 17 mR/hr in contact

       with the

       >        stomach and 20 microR/hr (twice background) at 30

       feet.

       >        Exposure rate  at stomach level after 2 days was ~2

       mR/hr, and

       >        after 7 days was ~0.5  mR/hr.   After 3 weeks,

       exposure rates

       >        were indistinquishable from  background.

       >

       >        Yes, at those levels, a lot of  patients are going to

       be

       >        setting of the increasing number of post 9/11

       radiation

       >        monitors in airports, borders, etc.

       >

       >        See http://www.philrutherford.com/Stress_Test_2003.pdf

       for

       >        charts of exposure vs. distance and time.

       >

       >        Interestingly enough, when I asked the nuclear

       technician who

       >        administered the radiopharmaceuticals, how much

       exposure I

       >        would receive, he said "Oh, about the same as a chest

       X-ray

       >        (~10 mrem)."   I do not know whether that was simple

       ignorance

       >        or deliberate  misinformation.

       >

       >        Phil

       >

       >

       ---------------------------------------------------------------

       >        ------------------

       >

       >        I  had the same experience when I went for my

       Cardolite test -

       >        the technician was  able to tell me the activity dose

       I was

       >        receiving (30 mCi of Tc-99m) but not  my whole body or

       >        effective dose in mR or mSv.  It was like he never

       heard  of

       >        such a thing and really made me angry.   Latter I

       estimated

       >        that  between the two doses I received (1PM in the

       afternoon

       >        and a second dose at  8AM the next morning) I picked

       up

       >        somewhere between 1600-1800 mR  integrated.

       >

       >        I  continued to register above background on my Xetex

       308A

       >        until three days after  the procedure and the first

       day I could

       >        set the detector off from 15 feet  outside my office,

       what fun.

       >

       >

       >        Hal  Careway

       >

       >

       >

       >.

       >

       >

       >

       ***************************************************************

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.





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