Re: Asking for opinions

[jthomas <jthomas@usuhs.mil>]

>
>A concern was raised that radioactive material would be routinely parked
>about 10-15 feet outside the glass and that this might dose the TLDs
>unnecessarily. Two independent assessments by Rad engineers (one a CHP)
>concluded that between 20-40 mrem per quarter may be absorbed by the TLDs
>and that moving the rack was a reasonable precaution. This actually has some
>relevance considering the collective dose goals of the site.


          Is the RAM, recently received isotopes, material that is being 
handled, waste?  ... e.g.  How is it packaged?  The TLD badge rack should 
have control TLD's on it.  Those badges would show some dose if the 
estimated quarterly dose is correct.  Also, the TLD's don't always remain 
on the rack ... at times the person to whom it is assigned might even wear 
it!!  I dose to the TLD badge rack is a concern post an environmental 
badge!!  or even easier, get a survey meter out and make appropriate HP 
measurements when the RAM is parked outside the glass.


>A management type CHP wrote up an analysis that assumed that the mostly
>glass wall was approximated by a 16 inch thick concrete wall and he
>concluded that the TLDs would get no dose. The question I would like
>RADSAFERs to comment on is "How would you interpret a case where an HP
>approximates a mostly glass wall as a concrete wall for shielding
>calculations?". Although there is no human health issue involved, would this
>border on being or is it blantantly unethical?.  Obviously, reasonable
>people can disagree but for the purposes of this discussion, give your
>opinion based on the assumption that you could see the radioactive material
>from the TLD location and 100 or at least 99 out of 100 people would agree
>that the only thing directly between the source and the TLDs was a pane of
>glass.


         The glass house I live in prohibits me from throwing stones.  The 
info given is incomplete and lacks the detail needed to render even an 
"off-the-cuff" judgement on the above question.  I rather doubt than any 
CHP would assume that 16" of concrete is equivalent to a plate glass 
window.  .... need to know more of the facts in this case.

         If you have an ethics complaint against the "management type CHP" 
the ABHP has in place a process to review "ethical and professional 
misconduct".  I suggest you contact Herman Cember, the current president of 
the ABHP if you feel that there has been unethical conduct.


Jerry Thomas, MS, CHP, DABR, DABSNM
jthomas@usuhs.mil

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