Re: Treatment of Contaminated Personnel

[Lorna Bullerwell <ljb1@cornell.edu>]

At 04:16 AM 2/28/99 -0600, you wrote:
>>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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Lorna Bullerwell			Phone:  (607) 255-8816
Radiological Safety Specialist		Fax:  (607) 255-8267
Cornell University			mailto:ljb1@cornell.edu
Department of Environmental Health and Safety
Laboratory and Radiation Safety Section
125 Humphreys Service Building,  Ithaca, NY  14853
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information can be accessed at http://www.ehs.uiuc.edu/~rad/radsafe.html