Re: Electronic Personal Dosimeters

[a.zapantis@qut.edu.au (Alex Zapantis)]

>Hello Radsafers:
>I am interested in learning of your evaluations, 
>applications, and experiences with electronic personal 
>dosimeters (EPD's)...

I have recently purchased a Rados Rad-50s EPD. It has all the bells and
whistles, eg dose and dose rate alarms, reads dose and doserate.

Its accuracy and reproducibility with respect to dose is excellent for Cs137
however, the same can not be said for doserate. The doserate it returns in a
constant field seems to jump around a fair bit. This is surprising as its
response time is fairly long. I only use it as a dosimeter. If want to
measure dose rate, I use a survey meter so it suits me fine. The specs
indicate that it has a fairly flat response between 50keV and 1.5MeV
although I haven't produced my own response curve.

In a previous life I used an Appleford EPD and an Automess EPD. Both were
excellent with respect to measurement of dose (Cs137). The Appleford was a
very basic unit. The Automess had alarms etc. and was built to survive a
nuclear blast!! Very robust but not bulky or heavy. The Appleford is not so
robust and its clip was next to useless. Despite being clipped onto a top
pocket, one managed to fall into a developer tank (remember those) and
drown, never to beep again!

All of these units are stand alone. If money wasn't a problem I would buy
the Automess however the Rados, at half the price (literally) peforms well.

Regards 
 
  Alex Zapantis                                         
  Radiation Safety Officer                                     
  Queensland University of Technology 
  Acting Manager       
  Health & Safety Section                             
  Locked Bag No.2                    Ph     : 61 7 3864 3566
  Red Hill Qld 4059                    fax     : 61 7 3864 3993
  AUSTRALIA                           Email  : a.zapantis@qut.edu.au    

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