RE: Alarms at Borders

["Richard L. Hess" <lists@richardhess.com>]

Hello, John,



Now, here is something I don't understand:



(a) The quantity of radioactivity introduced into the patient is considered 

harmless by the medical profession, therefore they don't feel compelled to 

discuss this with the patient.



(b) The person is obviously not carrying a large sealed source and that a 

small amount of leakage was detected (where would it be hidden)? Certainly 

they could be searched.



Why are the DHS limits for radioactivity lower than those considered safe 

by the medical community?



Why would the person be detained if they were searched and weren't carrying 

anything large and shielded?



What am I missing?



Thanks!



Richard



At 11:17 AM 1/13/2005 -0800, Flood, John wrote:

>We (Nevada Test Site) see quite a few every quarter, some identified by the

>worker coming to us ahead of the procedure, and the rest by TLD readings or

>gate alarms.  We have gotten fairly adept at identifying various medical

>procedures from the signature response patterns they cause on the dosimeter.

>

>A surprising percentage of those identified by dosimetry were never told by

>the medical system that radioactivity was involved.  The problem that causes

>is our problem - not the patient's.  As far as I can see, it really makes no

>difference to the patient.  But that's changing.

>

>People set off alarms at various locations here following these procedures

>(mostly stress tests, bone scans are a distant second).  So patients who

>work here experience a result that others don't.  With the advent of more

>and more detectors around the country, the patient will be impacted more and

>more.  Being held at a border station so as to harm someone's travel plans

>is not what the medical community should be doing to its patients.  So the

>harmless practice of not informing the patient is beginning to have a

>somewhat harmful effect.  Eventually, public pressure will solve this

>problem.

>

>Bob Flood

>Nevada Test Site





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