curie/chp

[Roy=Craft%occsafe%sep@sep2.sep.bnl.gov]

Speaking of anecdotal "evidence" and "decigrams of radium" purified by the 
Curies's I
recollect a film that we used in training many years ago that I have not been 
able to find
again.  In addition to the film being very old and of marginal quality by 
today's
standards, it also had a lot of "splotches" popping in and out.   There was a 
subtitle,
which looked like an original part. of the film, which apologized for the 
"overexposure"
of the film and the "splotches." The film was a news coverage of the Curies 
Laboratory
where radium was being processed.   The process vessel was a very large flat 
pan with
several men with shovels and rubber boots mixing the slurry.   Dose 
reconstruction
could be quiet a challenge.     



BTW, on the thread of CHP, a reference was made that Health Physics was only 
about 
years old as a "Profession."    When I started, 40 years ago, I felt it was 
more of a true
profession.   We did not have prescriptive regulations to follow, we did not 
have the
large staffs, we did not have the endless window dressing of CYA.  We had only 
results
(more correctly LACK of results) to show that we had a good Health Physics 
Program. 
Now I "fill the prescription" clipped from a collection of a "one size fits 
all programs."

We have people who want a License to practice Health Physics, and those who 
want a
certification to verify that we can practice Health Physics.  Something is 
needed to
advertise the ability to conduct an independent program.    IMOHHO, we are now
leaning very much towards academic studies, rather than practical 
applications. 
Unfortunately, this is in line with the current function of a CHP.  
Anthropology may well
be an appropriate degree, or perhaps a requirement should be a LAW degree. 
(:^)
Sometimes it seems like it would be a good idea for those who make the 
requirements
to understand that pigs can't fly. <-->  

Roy C. Craft chp