just an aside: I had to leak test our start up sources. These are Sb-124 sources, which are placed in Be holders to create photoneutrons. They arrived in a cask designed to be unloaded underwater. The dose rates did not allow removing the sources in air; except for a remote handling facility, which we do not have. To leak test the sources, we filled the cask with clean water. We then drained some of the water and counted it for Sb-124. Bill Lipton The opinions expressed are strictly mine.
- To: Multiple,recipients,of,list,radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu
- Subject: Re: Smearing sources
- From: "radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu" <radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu>
- Date: 16 Sep 96 13:47:07
- Reply-to: radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu
Radsafers: Prof.Cember, on page 394 of "Introduction to Health Physics", 2nd ed., says, "to test for surface contamination, wipe all exposed external surfaces of the source thoroughly with a piece of filter paper or a cotton swab moistened with an appropriate solvent, then measure the the activity on the paper of the swab." Thus, there seems to be no technical justification for a "dry" smear test. Wade Patterson