NukeWorker Forum
Career Path => Radiation Safety => Topic started by: S T I G on Jan 04, 2014, 09:31
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Has anybody ever here ever had to remove a hot spot from their anti-c's? Is that something that practically never happens or seen in the workplace from time to time?
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PCs are either disposable or laundered off site (I don't think any plants do their own anymore, but they once did.) If PCs are hot enough and can't be cleaned, they are radwaste (except the disposables which are always radwaste and are 'dissolved' in hot water.) The concept of a hotspot being removed on site -- um, no. If they are to hot to wear, take them off and throw them away.
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lol makes me wander why I was even taught ways to remove them in school
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Has anybody ever here ever had to remove a hot spot from their anti-c's? Is that something that practically never happens or seen in the workplace from time to time?
Are you talking while you are in the field?
It's a common practice to take open window readings on personnel working in hot particle zones (such as steam generator platforms or reactor cavities - esp. pre-decon). As Troja noted, you usually remove portions of your PCs (typically boots or gloves) that read above your pre-set limit (although we also used to wipe the S/G jumpers down with wet rags back when bubble suits were the dress-out of choice).
I also think there's a good war story on one of the threads about a tech picking up some huge extremity dose from a particle on their boot (and their subsequent silly reactions)...but I couldn't locate it...
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Yes, I was speaking of in the field. But, never mind..I got it
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Some facilities with primarily low specific activity isotopes still use them for radiological work but use papers for mixed hazard when present such as beryllium, asbestos, mercury, etc.. In these mixed waste situations it also may be economical to dispose of respirators rather than wash them. Rad Engineers and Industrial Hygiene will normally determine that for the facility or project. One of the advantages of papers is that some can be put through a digester for disposal drastically reducing the waste volume.
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Hot particles on people need to be captured for analysis if found in the field, that is why.
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PC issues aside, wherever you are, if hot particles are showing up on PCs in the field, someone needs to do an ECE (Extent of Cause Evaluation) to determine where the little buggers are coming from and why. I'm would say I'm sure they already thought of that ..... Buuuuuut after a few decades in this biz I've stopped making such assumptions.
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Except for gloves and booties, why even survey clothing?
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Except for gloves and booties, why even survey clothing?
I almost got snarky on you but I do not know your background so here goes. Visualize the grease and oil stains on a mechanics coveralls then imagine all those stains are fixed contamination from high specific activity isotopes and possibly some hot particles and fuel fragments. This is not that important at many DOE sites unless your laundry gets washed offsite and is mixed in with some power plant PCs (it's happened).
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I meant why not just waste them, vice spending time surveying and laundering them?
Is it really more cost effective to do the latter?
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I meant why not just waste them, vice spending time surveying and laundering them?
;)
Some facilities with primarily low specific activity isotopes still use them for radiological work but use papers for mixed hazard when present such as beryllium, asbestos, mercury, etc.. In these mixed waste situations it also may be economical to dispose of respirators rather than wash them. Rad Engineers and Industrial Hygiene will normally determine that for the facility or project. One of the advantages of papers is that some can be put through a digester for disposal drastically reducing the waste volume.
Is it really more cost effective to do the latter?
Maybe. Relative risk, cost of laundry on-site or offsite, cost of transportation and burial, cost of surveillance which can be built into the laundry bill and done by specially designed equipment relatively cheap with only spot checks by customer. I remember paying about $150 a box depending on the quality of the paper for incidental contact up to waterproof and even chemical resistant in some cases. Sometimes an easy decision sometimes not. Industrial Hygiene/Safety may want a say in most cases as well. Did I mention welding?