Re: low positive doses

["Alan R. Marchand" <radarm@accessnv.com>]

At 10:56 AM 4/23/97 -0500, you wrote:
>I have been following the discussion of low positive badge readings. 
>I have been compiling some statistics from our film badge reports 
>from 1996. For the year we had 6458 reports (total of hospital and 
>university). Of these 85% were Minimal (<10 mrem) and 14% were from 10 
>to 90 mrem. Less than 1% of the total readings were >= 100 mrem; all 
>of these were from the hospital. 
>
>I don't think the exposures < 100 mrem are worth following up, for 
>reasons that have already been stated here. We look at all exposures 
>over 100 mrem, but only follow up those that are unusually high for 
>the particular department or section.
>
>What concerns me more than the 30 mrem readings are the occassional 
>100 - 300 mrem readings for someone who I am sure never was exposed. 
>We get two or three of these every year, and they can be difficult to 
>explain to someone who is inclined to radiophobia.
>
>Ken
>
>
>
>Kenneth H. Douglass, Ph.D.
>Director, Radiation Safety
>West Virginia University
>West Virginia University Hospitals
>PO Box 9006
>Morgantown WV 26506
>(304) 293-1549
>(304) 293-4529 (fax)
>kdouglas@wvu.edu
>
>
LOOK FOR MEDICAL TREATMENTS FOR THESE PEOPLE LIKE BONE SCANS OR STRESS
TESTS. ONE TIME A WORKER HAD BOUGHT A NEW LANTERN MANTEL AND PUT IT IN HIS
BACK PACK. AT THE END OF THE DAY HE PUT HIS TLD INTO THE SAME BACK PACK.
THE TLD LAID ON TOP OF THE LANTERN MANTEL ALL WEEKEND. SAME THING CAN
HAPPEN WITH A RADIUM COMPASS OR WATCH.

ALAN