Re: give me your opinion

["Jim Dunlap" <jim.dunlap@guardian.brooks.af.mil>]

     If reasonably possible, wear some sort of respiratory protection. If 
     not - say, because of the remoteness of the respirators - quickly try 
     to evaluate the injured worker's medical status (ABC's), and do what 
     you can for the individual.  Then, as soon as practicable, if you are 
     still needed in the area, find and don a respirator.  (In all 
     likelihood, because of the explosion, most, if not all, of the Pu will 
     be in the oxidized form, and will be relatively insoluble 
     biologically, thereby reducing its threat as an internal hazard).
     
     jim.dunlap@guradian.brooks.af.mil


______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: give me your opinion
Author:  radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu at guardian
Date:    1/25/99 3:37 PM


This is the scenario. A Pu-239 waste canister (Average content 16 grams,
Max content 80 grams) burst open and knocks out a worker nearby. One
viewpoint is that a person should run to the workers side without
worrying about the potential airborne. A second viewpoint is that
respirators should be located in the immediate vicinity of the work area
and the attending person should take the 20-30 seconds required to don a
respirator before attending to the injured party. The crux of the issue
seems to be the weighted risk to the injured person of taking 30 seconds
to get to the person versus the potential risk to the attending person.
The first viewpoint assumes a 30 second delay is a greater risk to a
person in need of CPR versus the risk of diving into the potential plume
of a freshly burst container. The second viewpoint argues the need to
weigh both risks and concludes that the potential airborne is a greater
risk than a 30 second delay in attending to the injured party. 

So what viewpoint do you side with, one or two.

Thanx,
Joe
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