Re: Swipe Testing

["baumbaug@nosc.mil" <baumbaug@nosc.mil>]

        Radsafers,

        In "NO WAY" do I advocate the use of ANY wipe/swipe methods or
materials than those which will give you the best chance to identify exactly
what you have.  Having said that, however, I mentioned "unusual" wipe/swipe
materials that I have used "out in the field/out in the middle of nowhere"
because many materials can be used "in a pinch" to help a person correctly
identify an unknown... AND, using those materials have saved me hours/days
of travel time going back to an area to re-wipe/swipe with the "politically
correct" material.  If I have a "true" unknown - i.e. (I have NO IDEA WHAT
THIS THING IS), I will often put my wipe/swipe in the multichannel analyzer
first before immersing my sample into LSC fluid.... I am quite sure that
many of you RADSAFERS have had similar experiences - you're called to look
at something (no one had thought to mention ahead of time that it could be
radioactive [duh!]) and surprise - surprise, there is the old propeller -
staring you in the face...  I take my survey meter on hazardous
material/waste investigations (another one of my jobs) as a matter of course
now-a-days.

        As Franz (I think) is alluding to - if you add unknown/unusual
factors like toilet paper (the coloring and aroma/scent etc.) or a shirt
with color(s)/detergents etc., can cause many confounding factors to your
LSC analysis...(hence the MCA first).

        Happy counting,

        Joel

..



>Finally a strictly scientific question to Joel: What is the quench effect
>of toalett paper, your shirt etc........?
>
>Franz
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Joel T. Baumbaugh (baumbaug@nosc.mil)
Naval Research and Development (NRaD)
San Diego, CA., U.S.A.

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(the U.S. Navy), the Federal government or my supervisors.