Re: I-131 PATIENT WORKING AT NUCLEAR POWER PLANT

[Doug Turner <turners@earthlink.net>]

Andy,

I had a rad tech's wife pick up some I-131 contamination on folding money
when she cashed her husband's paycheck at Oyster Creek in the mid 1980's.
This was discovered when he exited the RCA and set of the Eberline PCM1A.
We ended up going to the bank and surveying the vault as a favor to the NRC
and state inspectors while a nervous guard fingered his pistol!

As a result of the lessons learned GPU installed guard house radiation
detectors to catch radioactive contamination coming into the plant so it can
be properly documented.  We placed personnel with radioisotope
administrations in temporary work locations outside the protected area.  If
your sewage system has a radiation monitor you might want to consider
alternate waste collection techniques, especially if your monitor alarm
trips an isolation valve.

Radioactive iodine is eliminated thru seating, exhaling the breath ( which
plates out on any cool metalic surface), saliva, and bodily wastes. The
amount of iodine can easily be calculated using the retention models in the
rad health handbook, and the physician will release the initial intake if
you get her consent release form in advance. You can expect residual iodine
from 2 weeks to well over a month depending on the initial intake ( again
easily calculated). 

Doug Turner <turners@ earthlink.net> 
>QUESTIONS:
>1.  Should we assume that she is released with 30 mCi of I-131 in her 
>body?
>2.  Will there be a significant (N.B.: we are in a nuclear power plant), 
>cross contamination problem with the RP techs?
>3.  What will be the mechanism of contamination (e.g., sweating), and 
>what contamination levels can be expected?
>4.  For what period of time can we expect the contamination problem? 
>5.  What mitigating actions can we take to minimize the problem?
>     
>THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP. {keep up the good work, Sandy Perle} 
>Andy Olsen   OLSENC@MYAPC.COM  207/882-5654
>     
>
>
>