Re: Need for whole body film badges ?

["Sue M. Dupre" <dupre@phoenix.Princeton.EDU>]

We supply our x-ray diffraction users with both whole body and ring
badges.  I think the best justification for the whole body badges may be
that it provides a check on general conditions around the x-ray machine.
If a researcher changes the configuration of the machine and/or its
shielding without calling us for a survey (hard as it may be to
imagine that scenario!), the whole body badge may indicate
that radiation levels in the vicinity of the machine have increased. 

Other thoughts on this question?

On Tue, 24 Sep 1996, David W Lee wrote:

> A question directed particularly toward University RSO's, but along the same 
> lines as below.  What is your dosimetry policy regarding providing 
> individual whole-body dosimeters for researchers who operate only x-ray 
> diffraction units?  Given the extremely collimated, highly directional, 
> small cross sectional area of the x-ray beam, does hanging a whole-body 
> dosimetry on an x-ray diffraction unit operator provide any useful 
> information?  REGARDS


Sue M. Dupre, Health Physicist
Office of Occupational Health & Safety
Princeton University
E-Mail:  dupre@princeton.edu           Phone:  609/258-6252