Re: RADSAFE: static and alpha whole body monitors?

["Fritz A. Seiler" <faseiler@nmia.com>]

Dear David,

        I am writing a short note to the list RISKANAL, and would
like to use your letter, (shortened as shown below) asking for help
with your problem, as an example how RISKANAL can get a bit
more practice oriented.  Please, let me know whether you agree.
        To some people, your problem may appear mundane, to me
it is not.  I may be mostly a theoretician these days, but I used to be
an experimental nuclear physicist, and I can see that you have a neat
problem.  About 15 years ago, I worked theoretically with aerosols
of salt and plutonium and their effects on the continuous air monitors
at the WIPP.  All I that can think of at the moment is to cover or
replace critical surfaces (i.e. potential deposition surfaces) with a thin
removable layer of the same material at the same electrical potential,
remove it and see with an alpha counter what you get.  Once you
find the critical surface, a number of corrective actions will probably
suggest themselves to remove the contamination.

Good luck and best regards

Fritz

David Levy wrote:

> .... we think we're dealing with the following:
>
>      A PCM-2 set up for alpha whole body counting is spending most of the
>      day unable to operate due to "Background Too High" messages.
>
>      We suspect this may be due to radon daughter plate-out on the
>      counters.
>
>      Has anyone had this experience and/or know of a potential solution for
>      it?
>
>      All regular and (viable) off-the-wall solutions welcome!
>
>      Thank you!

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NOTE CHANGE OF ADDRESS

***************************

Fritz A. Seiler, Ph.D.
Principal
Sigma Five Associates
P.O. Box 1709
Los Lunas, NM 87031
Tel.    505-866-5193
Fax.    505-866-5197
e-mail: faseiler@nmia.com

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