Re: HPS Objective -Reply

["David W. Lee" <lee_david_w@lanl.gov>]

At 01:51 PM 08-08-97 -0500, you wrote:
>David Lee wrote in part:
>
>>I would sincerely welcome the
>>citation of any professional literature that truly documents the harmful
>i>njuries that Paul describes from shoe-fitting fluoroscopes.  I am
>>presently unaware of any such citations.  
>
>At the same time John Moulder expressed doubt that such effects would
>have occurred.
>
>As a general comment: Shoe fitting fluoroscopes were x-ray units. 
>X-ray units have been known to cause these kinds of injuries.
>Thousands upon thousands of these units were used around the world.
>They were used by shoe store personnel i.e. untrained people who
>were working in close physical proximity to these units and subject to
>repeated exposure. There was little to no concern about the possible
>harmful effects of overexposures for most of the time period when
>these units were used. Some percentage of these units would have
>malfunctioned or have been modified in such a way that the normal
>exposure rates were exceeded. For much of the time period in which
>these units were employed, there were no inspections that would detect
>malfunctioning units. Given all this, which is a more reasonable
>assumption:1. no radiation injuries occurred, or 2. some injuries
>occurred?
>
>Radiation Damage Caused by Shoe-Fitting Fluoroscope, by H. Kopp,
>British Medical Journal Dec 7, 1957 describes radiation damage to the
>foot of a shoe store worker. For what its worth, a photograph of the
>damaged foot is included.
>
>Shoe Fitting with X-ray by H. Bavley in National Safety News, Sept 1950
>refers to a case in Massachusetts where an individual had to have her
>leg amputated.  This paper also refers to a study at the Harvard School
>of Public Health that an exposure to the feet over 20 seconds could
>range from 10 to 116 R for apparently normally operating units.  What
>then might repeated exposures with a malfunctioning unit deliver?
>
>Paul Frame
>Professional Training Programs
>ORISE
>framep@orau.gov
>
>

Thank-you Paul for the above two reference citations.  I will chase them
down from our research library and add them to my local documentation.

Best regards  David


David W. Lee
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Radiation Protection Services Group (ESH-12)
PO Box 1663, MS K483
Los Alamos, NM  87545
PH:   (505) 667-8085
FAX:  (505) 667-9726
lee_david_w@lanl.gov