Re: Respect

[Kim Merritt <Merritt9@llnl.gov>]

I can't give a very good LLD for H3 with a pancake but it would probably be
in the curie range and would vary with the matrix that the tritium is in.

As for the Ni-63, we were dealing with ionization sources from Ion Mobility
Spectrometers.  They were essentialy screens that had been electroplated.
The researcher had cut a screen with tin snips so it would fit into his
device.  In order to prove that the contamination was from him and not
legacy (which was not too improbable for this lab) we took swipes of known
Ni-63 and tritium contamination.  We then printed out the energy spectrums,
turned them into transparencies and overlayed them on the spectrums from
his lab.  And imagine our suprise when the Ni-63 spectrum matched his to a
tee.  It also helped that the spectrum tailed off around the 30 keV area
which obviously discounts tritium.   Not a very scientific approach but it
was good enough.  His sources, which were about 10 mCi were easily detected
with a PGM.

Sorry, no experience with Fe-55.

Also, the training standards for RCT's within DOE are mandated by both DOE
and the site you work at.  All RCT's must meet the same basic knowledge
requirements.  There is little if any training given on any pure beta
emitters with the exception of tritium.  Much of this knowledge has to be
gained in the trenches and in Dee's case she is in my old trench
(literally), and obviously I am no longer there.  I know that Dee is from a
power reactor background, which I would say provided her with a good
understanding of health physics but not a lot of knowledge on research
related isotopes.

Kim Merritt
Team 3 Sr. H&S Tech
Building 235
3-1143 pager 04163


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