Re: RADSAFE digest 23

[mandel (Hector Mandel)]

	Does anyone have any information which would suggest that is preferable
	to wear ring badges with the sensitive portion turned in any particular
	direction.

	We had an NRC inspector give a violation because nuclear medicine
	technologists were wearing the badges with the film toward the back
	(posterior) of the hand.

	I am looking for quantitative information not opinion.

	Thanks.

	David Adcock
	University of South Carolina

David, I'm afraid all you're going to get are opinions.  You're asking for  
information that would "suggest" a preference.  Obviously, it would be advisable to  
wear the finger ring turned inwards if you were interested in obtaining a  
conservative reading of the dose to the palm of the hand from handling of a source.   
However, if you're interested in monitoring dose to the hand from and x-ray  
machine, it might be more interesting to have the ring facing out.  (see NCRP #59,
_Operational Radiation Safety Program_, Chapter 5).  NRCP recommends that  
monitoring devices _should_ be worn on the part of the body likely to receive the  
greatest proportion of its maximum permissible dose equivalent.  I suppose this  
suggestion can be stretched to imply that a finger monitor should be turned toward  
the inside of the hand, but it seems to me that your inspector was somewhat  
capricious to issue a full blown citation in your case.