A couple off-the-wall (unrelated) questions

["Jim F. Herrold" <HERROLD@UWYO.EDU>]

Hello out there in RadSafe land...

I have a couple things which are puzzling me on this Friday afternoon an dwould
appreciate some insight. These are two ares in which I am sadly ignorant, so
any answer, no matter how basic it may seem, is probably not too basic for me.

#1.  What recommendations do other research institutions follow for monitoring
technicians in x-ray diffraction labs. We have a couple units on campus made by
Scintag (an XDS2000 and a PADII), which are fully enclosed and shielded, so
that exposures to all users have been less than detectable. In fact, the area
monitors do not even register any exposures. Now, before you go telling me to
talk to my state regulatory agency, you should know that here in Wyoming we
don't HAVE one. It was eliminated three years back and no one over there at the
Capital has a clue. What I am looking for, then, is the accepted guidelines in
OTHER states who still care about x-ray safety. I've been meaning to go get
some exposure levels with a portable PIC (as soon as I get a round TUIT). Based
on that information, I'm inclined to leave the area monitors there but stop
badging the people individually. Following the NRC guidelines (my only source
of inspiration on radiation protection) I would say monitoring of individuals
is not required. Feedback, please. 

#2.  Can pancake geiger detectors be set off by high electromagnetic fields?
Yesterday one of our techs was out surveying a lab and thought he had a short
in his cable because the meter pegged as soon as it was turned on. He went back
to get another geiger counter and the same thing happened in the same lab, but
only near a bench with a number of lab instruments running on it. There was no 
radioactive contamination, it seemed to just be from the instruments themselves
(a compressor, water bath and speed-vac). Excuse my ignorance, but is this a
radiofrequency thing, or EMF? Should the electricians look at the wiring in the
lab? Could there be a problem? It sure made it hard to do contamination
surveys when just about anything electrical set off the GM detector.

Have a nice weekend.

Jim F. Herrold, RSO         U    U W       W 	University of Wyoming
e-mail:	herrold@uwyo.edu    U    U W   W   W  	Environmental Health & Safety  
phone:	(307) 766-3277      U    U  W W W W   	312 Merica Hall  
fax:	(307) 766-2255      UUUUUU   W   W      Laramie, Wyoming 82071-3413
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------  
"Opinions are my own and do not represent those of the University of Wyoming, 
or anyone else for that matter. All mistakes are the fault of the computer."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------