Re: airplane check

["Mike Malaxos" <rss@arach.net.au>]

One way to run a quick check would be with a sensitive scintillometer with
an audio threshold which would alert the operator when the dose rate
exceeded a preset value (say 1.5 time background).

I have an old French Saphymo-Srat SPP 2 NF Scintillometer which
incorporates a 37 mm diameter x 25 mm Na xtal. with an audio rate threshold
alarm. Works well for this sort check. Indicates about 20% FSD on the most
sensitive range for background  (about 10 microR or 0.1 microGray). 

Best Regards
M.Malaxos
Radiation Safety Services
69-71 Robinson Avenue Belmont
Western Australia.  6104 
Fax 61 89 475 0165
P 61 89 475 0099  a/h 089 255 1214
email rss@arach.net.au
 

----------
> From: Mauro Campoleoni <trentino@iol.it>
> To: Multiple recipients of list <radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu>
> Subject: airplane check
> Date: Saturday, 4 July 1998 16:27
> 
> Dear colleagues,
> 
> I've been recently involved in a radioprotection program for one of the
two 
> Milan airports. Every month, about 1200 radioactive packages pass thru
the
> airport, mostly pharmaceuticals but also industrial gamma sources or
other
> sources, and there is obviously some risk for the workers who handle the
> packs,
> load or unload airplanes or move the freight towards the exit.
> 
> I was asked to plan a check, made by someone else, that can reveal
dangerous
> situations before unloading the freight, expecially for badly closed
> containers,
> that might expose the workers to "high" and anyway unwanted exposure 
> (I think I should be able to avoid doses of 200 - 300 microSv). We had an
> accident
> like this a year ago, before I started this concern, the workers got some
> milliSv.
> So, I'm studying to perform a check from outside the plane, a couple of
> metres away from the packs, with a threshold level that might be 100
> microSv/h,
> taking into account the shielding of the plane cockpit and estimating 
> (not so easy) that the same packs can shield each other with their lead
> shieldings,
> and so on.
> 
> Has anybody of you an experience in this matter? And what about the
shielding
> capability of the cockpit (I think it' made mostly with Al)?
> 
> Thanks for any suggestion, Mauro.
> 
> ***********************************************************************
> Mauro Campoleoni
> Health Physicist
> Istituti Clinici di Perfezionamento
> Milan, Italy, tel +39+0257992166, fax +39+0257992168
> ***********************************************************************