RE: Treatment of Contaminated Personnel

[David.S.Villicana@ucm.com]

The difficulty is: there is no instrument to measure dose rates >1000 R/h.
Since the value is unknown, you cannot estimate a stay time. In an official
procedure, I think the advice should be: if your instrument is off scale,
back away.

An RO 7 made by Eberline with its High Range detector could be used.
The range is 19.9krem/hr and the resolution is 10 rem/hr.
The instrument is normally used for under water work but could easily be
used for this type of work.
Thanks
David Villicana
David.S.Villicana@ucm.com

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Mike McNaughton [SMTP:MCNAUGHT@lanl.gov]
> Sent:	Sunday, February 28, 1999 4:16 AM
> To:	Multiple recipients of list
> Subject:	Re: Treatment of Contaminated Personnel
> 
> >d) Now let's take into account  the following  remark: If the dose rate
> is
> >>1000 R/h, back off and do not perform a rescue.
> 
> Note: the "greater than" symbol is confused with the ">" symbol added by
> the email program. This should read: >1000 R/h. If the dose rate equals
> 1000 R/h, I agree with the following analysis.
> 
> >This value is a dose rate and should consider the time necessary for the
> >rescue. In case of the ICRP and IAEA recommendations, if the total
> effective
> >dose considered for life saving is 500 mSv (50 R), and  considering  a
> >scenario that the dose rate is 1000 R/h,  this means that the time for
> >rescue should be not more than  3 minutes. It is really a very high
> balance
> >for decision making.  
> 
> The difficulty is: there is no instrument to measure dose rates >1000 R/h.
> Since the value is unknown, you cannot estimate a stay time. In an
> official
> procedure, I think the advice should be: if your instrument is off scale,
> back away.
> 
> In reality, perhaps a volunteer would perform a rescue anyway. Which leads
> to the following.
> 
> In some existing training (not in Los Alamos) the official advice is: if
> you measure ANY radiation, wait for the knowledgeable authorities. This
> official advice is followed during exercises and drills. I am told: in a
> real situation where life is at risk, we would do it differently. How
> strange!
> 
> >"Aspects of
> >the Initial and Recovery phases of the Radiological Accident in Goiania,
> >Brazil",  Proceedings of the International Symposium on Recovery
> Operations
> >in the Event of a Nuclear Accident or Radiological Emergency - IAEA,
> Vienna,
> >6-10 November 1989. If you which a copy please give me your  complete
> >address and I will send to you.
> 
> Yes, I would very much like a copy. Please send to:
> Dr M. McNaughton
> J596
> Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA
> 
> Thank you for your helpful comments. mike
> 
> "Shlala gashle" (Zulu greeting meaning "stay safe") mike
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