Re: Radon Screening

[David Biela <bielad@wv.doe.gov>]

>Date: 1-Oct-96 18:39:13 -0400
>From: RADSAFE@smtp (radsafe){radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu}
>To: RADSAFE (Multiple recipients oflist){radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu}
>Reply-to: RADSAFE@smtp{radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu}
>Subject: Re: Radon Screening
>Message-id: 4585513201CC2B79
>O-SMTP-Envelope-From: <radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu>
>
>  From: Schoenhofer <schoenho@via.at>
>
>At 10:59 01.10.1996 -0500, you wrote:
>>Need some information on instrumentation.  I am looking for a piece(s) of
>personnel monitoring equipment >that can eliminate or identify
>contamination contribution from Radon and
>daughters.  Our personnel >release criteria is:
>>500dpm/100cm-2 Alpha and 5000dpm/100cm-2 Beta (Total fixed and Removable).
>>
>>On certain days we exceed these numbers from radon, but do not have a good
>way to let individuals >continue without having them stand around for
>decay.  What is out there for
>quick identification at these >levels?
>>-------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>David,
>
>Could you please give a little more information about the problem you
>face
>with radon and daughters? Is it the question of persons being
>contaminated?
>(Obviously). Where and what do they work to come in contact with such
>tremendous amounts of radioactivity to be so highly contaminated?
>
>Radon is a noble gas and cannot be deposited on normal surfaces to give
>rise
>to contamination. Daughter products can of course plate out. I do not
>know
>the instruments you use, but a reading of 500dpm/100cm2 for alphas and
>ten
>time for betas seems to be rather high - especially for plate out of
>radon
>progeny. What kind of contamination do you want to distinguish the
>"radon" from?
>
>
>Franz
>Schoenhofer
>Habichergasse 31/7
>A-1160 WIEN
>AUSTRIA/EUROPE
>Tel./Fax:	+43-1-4955308
>Tel.:		+43-664-3380333
>e-mail:		schoenho@via.at
>
The Beta number equates to approximately 70 cpm/probe area on our beta brobe which is really not very 
high.  This is the Western New York area and the contribution has nothing to do with the materials we are 
working with on site, just normal environmental background.   The events are usually during rainy weather. 
we have ran test in the local area and have found this problem away from our site also.

Thanks for your help
Dave Biela