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Re: Dose estimates when dosimetry is lost/damaged
> From: "Sandy Perle" <sandyfl@ix.netcom.com>
> To: Multiple recipients of list <radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu>
> Subject: Re: Dose estimates when dosimetry is lost/damaged
> This part of Kent's post I will respond to, just to clarify my
> position regarding the philosophy he quoted.
>
> >.......................... And as I recall from
>> some of your previous posts, you believe that EVERY worker at a
> >university/hospital should be monitored (Justified because of the
> >potential for litigation...
>I want to reiterate that my belief that more people need to be
> badged beyond the minimal regulatory limit is MY opinion. This has
> been my philosophy way before I joined ICN Dosimetry...
Gentlemen! I think we have an apples and oranges discussion
going here, mainly due to the different backgrounds (nuclear
power versus medical.) IMHO:
1/ There are significant differences in how "controlled"
controlled areas are, and how many miscellaneous workers
and visitors are occasionally present in these controlled areas.
2/ A typical research linac gets buttoned up after a RSO
or equivalent does a walk-thru of the area, and the area is
sealed off, (often double-locked.) A therapy linac will have
typically 30 patients a day, with attending relatives, transport
people, personnel to monitor IV's or Inhallation therapy
equipment, referring MD's who want to see a treatment,
and various other people parading thru the treatment room.
3/ It wouldn't happen at Argonne or at a power station, but I've
seen hospital visitors open the treatment room door of a linac
room, (with the beam on,) and when questioned about where
they were trying to go say, "How do I get to the Illinois
Central commuter train station."
4/ Locking the door is viable in a research/power situation, but
not in therapy as I know it. I got called down once when thru a
strange set of cirumstances, a patient did get locked in the
room. The patient was totally immobile, and the therapists
couldn't find the key to open the door. To put it politely,
the situation resembled a 6-clown circus parade.
Sorry if I started to ramble, but I hope you see my point.
Who is at risk, what that risk is, and how to minimize risk,
(and how to CYA,) change greatly depending on the situation.
Frank R. Borger - Physicist - Center for Radiation Therapy
net: Frank@rover.uchicago.edu ph: 312-791-8075 fa: 791-3697
"Have the accordion player sound the charge!"... "He can't sir, he
took a bullet in the bellows during 'Lady of Spain.'" - Dave Barry