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What is Contamination?

What is Contamination?. Contamination is radioactive material in a location where it is not desired Lab bench, door knobs, telephone, computer, offices, etc. Loose Contamination, like dust, can be easily removed

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What is Contamination?

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  1. What is Contamination? • Contamination is radioactive material in a location where it is not desired • Lab bench, door knobs, telephone, computer, offices, etc. • Loose Contamination, like dust, can be easily removed • Fixed contamination is embedded in the material’s surface and is more difficult to remove.

  2. What is an “Occupational Dose”? • Occupational exposure or dose is the amount of ionizing radiation received by individuals from their assigned duties during their normal course of employment. • Individuals who receive or have the potential to receive an occupational exposure (dose) are considered occupationally exposed and subject to NYSDOH’s Occupational exposure (dose) limits • Doses received from background radiation from nature, medical examinations and treatments, or as members of the public are not considered occupational exposures.

  3. What is a radiation dose ? • A radiation dose is an amount of ionizing radiation that is absorbed by your body. • State and Federal regulations limit radiation doses to members of the general public or non-radiation workers to 100 millirem per year from NYMC operations • State and Federal regulations limit radiation doses to radiation workersto 5000 millirem per year from NYMC operations

  4. Radiation Risk • All radiation exposure is accompanied by some risk. • The lower the exposure, the lower the risk. • Keep exposure to radiation ALARA – “As Low As Reasonably Achievable.”

  5. Acute Exposure Risk • Acute Exposure – Relatively high exposure over a short time • Threshold for any effect - 100,000 mrem • Flu-like symptoms that self resolve in a few days • (nausea, vomiting, malaise, headache, etc) • LD 50/30 – 500,000 mrem (without medical treatment), 50% of the exposed will die in 30 days

  6. Chronic Exposure Risk • Increases likelihood of cancer • US Cancer rate is approximately 25% • Each 1000 mrem of exposure increases chance of cancer by 0.03% (BIER V, United Nations)

  7. Dangers of radioisotopes: can cause cancer DNA damage natural causes of cancer are 1 in 2 for males and 1 in 3 for females as reported by the American Cancer Society

  8. Background Radiation – radiation from cosmic rays and from radioactive isotopes in the soil and air Sources: radon, cosmic, consumer products, medical procedures

  9. Natural Background Radiation

  10. Calculated cosmic ray doses to a person flying in subsonic and supersonic aircraft under normal solar conditions

  11. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) – Government Agency that monitors and regulates use of radioactive materials. NRC radiation exposure limits ABOVE background radiation levels: General public 100 mrem/yr Occupational 5,000 mrem/yr

  12. Uses of radioisotopes:

  13. 1. Sterilize Food

  14. 2. Medical – detection of diseases and treatment of cancer

  15. 3. Tracers for research

  16. 4. Tracers for water

  17. 5. Sterilization of products by Co-60

  18. 6. Smoke detectors

  19. 7. Archeological Dating of Materials

  20. 8. Density gauge in industry to measure thickness where contact gauges cannot be used

  21. 9. Nuclear power

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