Re: 137Cs check sources

[Michael Kay <makay@teleport.com>]

Warren,
If this is truly a high radiation area, how do you preclude a GM from saturating
in a high field and indicating no dose? I have always emphasized that an ION
CHAMBER is the only proper instrument to use when entering a potential High
Radiation Area. Is there some new circuitry in these GMs that I am not aware of?

Michael A. Kay, ScD, CHMM
makay@teleport.com

Warren Church wrote:

> If these are GM survey meters.  You can go to the lowest range and use
> background radiation for your check source.  For critical situations such as
> checking before entering our gamma cave (potentially a "very high radiation
> area" we have either mounted a check source on the wall or permanently mounted
> a Beta check source on the Beta window and lived with a slightly higher
> background reading.
> Warren Church, UML RSO
> warren_church@uml.edu
>
> mdater@nexstar.com wrote:
>
> > I have been installing the 1 uCi 137Cs check sources to our survey meters.
> > I have had an  uproar over the fact that these sources are emmiting an
> > surveyable reading even 12 inches away from the checksource
> > I measured 65000cpm (using a ludlum 44-2 detector) on surface of one of
> > these checksources.
> > My questions:
> > Does anyone have data on the exposure rate of these sources to an
> > individual that is in proximity of the source for 8 hr?
> > Is there a better way to check meters for functionality, rather than have a
> > check source attached?
> > How have others tackled this protest (that the check source is irradiating
> > the individuals, hands, arms, benchpartner, etc.)
> > When was this regulation(and can you reference this regulation to me) put
> > in place that an individual has to be exposed to radiation for the reason
> > that a survey  meter can be checked against radiation?
> > Mark Dater
> > NeXstar Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
> > 2860 Wilderness Place
> > Boulder, CO. 80301
> > Work phone: (303) 546-7703
> > Fax: (303) 444-0672
> > E-mail mdater@Nexstar.com
> > These are my comments and questions and not those of my employer.
> >
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information can be accessed at http://www.ehs.uiuc.edu/~rad/radsafe.html