No Subject

[Joel Baumbaugh <baumbaug@nosc.mil>]

	Radsafers,

	Hopefully someone can help me with this,

	I occasionally get phone calls from people (not necessarily from my work) who have x-ray generating machines (of various/sundry natures - full-wave rectification/single/three phase filtered [various thickness Al plus inherent], etc., etc.) and they want to know if there is a way to figure out what the dosage rate (in air) their machines are producing at a specific distance (I also get calls about other machines/devices generating other various/sundry products but we'll save that topic for another day...just x-rays today...!)

	Of course I would and "do" suggest measuring the darn things (with a properly calibrated instrument, etc.) and then you'll know for sure what you're getting - isotopically - however I seem to remember (casting my mind "WAY back" that I've seen rule-of-thumb nomograms for just this sort of thing.

	Question(s):

	Do such nomograms still exist?

	Am I "dating" my self? - are there any "free" software packages I (or any RADSAFER's who want to know) can download?  Can you give me a WWW address that I can click on?

	What limitations am I looking at with a "formula" for dose rates (besides shielding of/from the machine itself - tube type [i.e. tungsten/copper/iron, etc.], scatter...)?

	Any suggestions/warnings?  Hey, why re-invent the wheel/ignore history?  If any of you have tried this and its worthless - I want to know so I'm not wasting my time either...  If I find something that seems to work, then I'll do the calculations and then double-check it with a meter to see how close it is...Simple pleasures for simple minds I guess...


	Anyway, thanks (ahead of time) for your help,



	Joel Baumbaugh
	baumbaug@nosc.mil	

Joel T. Baumbaugh, MPH, MHP
baumbaug@nosc.mil
Radiation Safety Officer
SSC San Diego, CA


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1000 A.D.     "That root is heathen.  Say this prayer."
1850 A.D.     "That prayer isn't medicine.  Drink this potion."
1940 A.D.     "That potion is snake oil.  Swallow this pill."
1985 A.D.     "That pill is ineffective.  Take this antibiotic."
2000 A.D.     "That anibiotic is ineffective.  Eat this root."