All Over Contamination

[xat@inel.gov (Al Tschaeche)]

My appologies to all of you reading this who are not in the DOE family.
When I sent the message recently about not being concerned about having my
children play in an area uniformly contaminated to 1000 dpm/100cm2, I quoted
a number of 5000 dpm/100cm2 from 10 CFR 835 and the DOE Radiological Control
Manual(RCM).  Those two documents are the DOE equivalent to 10 CFR 20.  For
those of you not in the US, 10 CFR 20 is the US Federal government's
regulations for protecting radiation workers from radiation and radioactive
material.
The value of 5000 dpm/100cm2 applies to total (removable plus fixed)
contamination on the surface of things (not people or their clothing) that
defines what must be controled according to the requirements in the
controlling documents.  Practically, what this means is:  if one wanted to
remove an item from an area controlled (or restricted or whatever word one
wants to use that means controlled) for purposes of radiation protection
from loose radioactive material, one would survey the item.  If the survey
results were below the 5000 dpm/100cm2, the item could be released from the
area.   Caviat:  There are some other requirements in the DOE family for
uncontrolled release, but that is a complex subject and not necessary for
this discussion.
So, since the limit is 5000 dpm/100cm2, theoretically, at least, there could
be 4999 dpm/100cm on items released for uncontrolled use.  This is not the
case generally and I have no qualms about the system for contamination
control as it is currently practiced.  But, it is an interesting
intellectual exercise to contemplate what one could imagine the real
situation is (as opposed to what the regulations require it to be).
Now, lest anyone accuse me of letting the cat out of the bag, almost
everyone knowledgable about contamination control, including the regulators,
knows, and have known for at least 50 years, that what I have said is true.
And there is no problem with it.  I only bring it up because I let Ron pull
my chain.  I really don't think it is worth any more discussion.