According to the regulations outlined by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and/or the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Rutgers University and RWJMS are not required to provide dosimetry (radiation badges) to the vast majority of researchers working with radioactive materials (RAM). That said, we do provide dosimetry to a select population at each university. For example; those who work with high energy beta emitters , select gamma emitters, and some machine sources. You have met our internal criteria for dosimetry, or have chosen to reimburse REHS for dosimetry costs. Enclosed you will find your radiation badges. Your dosimeter is designed to monitor your occupational exposure. Please make sure you understand the rules and limitations (outlined below) of these dosimeters. Dosimeters are exchanged every three months in the beginning of January, April, July and October. Fetal dosimeters are exchanged on the first of every month (or the first business day thereafter). If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Debbie Hrabinski at (732) 445-2550.
Radiation Badge Rules:
- Do not share your badge. Your dosimeters are assigned to you and any dose received by the badge will be recorded under your name and kept as a permanent record. If someone in your lab needs a badge, please contact REHS and a spare badge can be issued as needed.
- Do not deliberately expose them to radiation. If you think your badges were exposed to radiation inadvertently, please contact REHS for instructions. When you aren’t wearing them, keep them where their exposure will be minimal or as close as possible to background radiation levels (such as your desk or an area of the lab where RAM is not used). Do not bring them to the doctor or dentist office since these medical procedures are not “occupational exposures”.
- Wear them appropriately. Whole body badges measure your deep and shallow doses. They should be worn under your lab coat on the torso between the neck and pelvic area. Ring badges measure extremity doses. They should be worn under your gloves on the finger of the hand which you do most of your radiation work (or the hand nearest to the radiation source).
- Return badges on time. Your badges cannot be read if they are not exchanged on time. When you receive your new quarter’s badges by campus mail, please return the old badges promptly to REHS.
- Notify REHS if your badge is lost. A replacement can be issued anytime during the quarter if your badge is lost or missing. REHS incurs charges for non-returned whole body and ring dosimeters at a cost of $9 and $5 respectively.
- Do not expose badges to heat. Do not leave your badge anywhere that it can be exposed to heat such as the window sill or inside a hot car. Exposures recorded on the dosimeter may be erased by excessive heat exposure.
Radiation Badge Limitations:
- Dosimeters are a passive device. Your dosimeter gives an estimate of the amount of external radiation that you were exposed to. They do not absorb radiation, nor do they help you in any way against the effects of radiation. The results of your dosimeter exposures get reported to REHS several weeks after they are returned to the vendor. Your radiation badge is purely for the purposes of monitoring the amount of radiation you may have been exposed to during your occupational work so that you do not exceed the levels set forth by the NRC.
- They have a minimum detectable level. Your radiation badge cannot record doses below 10 mrem. If you receive a badge report with “ND” as the reportable dose, this means that the dose receive was “non-detectable” (or less than 10 mrem) by the dosimeter. Your badge will not record doses from radioisotopes such as H-3, C-14 or S-35 because the energies of these radionuclides are too low for the dosimeter to record. They work best with higher energy beta emitters such as P-32 or gamma emitters like I-125 or Cr-51.
- Dosimeters will record any radiation exposure. The small quantities of radioactive material used in a university setting such as ours, are not usually recorded on our dosimeters. Likewise, if this small quantity of radioactive material is taken into the body, these internal doses will not be recorded. If you suspect that you received an internal radiation dose, contact REHS immediately. Internal exposures can be avoided by carefully planned and executed experimental procedures, including the use of proper personal protective equipment (i.e., lab coat, gloves, safety glasses). The use of a hand-held survey meter such as a Geiger counter can help you avoid any internal exposure by identifying potential areas of contamination before you get a personal exposure. If you have had a medical test such as a nuclear medicine scan or stress test, you should not wear your badge, since these tests usually involve gamma-emitting radionuclides. The radioactive material used for these medical procedures will record a potentially high dose on your dosimeter. These medical tests are not occupational doses. Please contact REHS if you’ve had one of these procedures. If your badge is stored near radioactive materials or a radiation source, likewise it will record a dose that is not reflective of your occupational exposure.
Your dosimetry report is sent to you once a year via a Form 5. The Form 5 has your dose history for the previous year. If you do not receive a Form 5 (in March of the following year), that means your doses were “ND” (non-detectable). You may request a copy of your quarterly dose report at any time throughout the year. Contact Debbie Hrabinski at REHS for a copy of this report.
Our goal is to keep your dose ALARA (as low as reasonable achievable). By following these rules and understanding the limitations of your dosimeter, unnecessary radiation doses can be avoided. If you do not meet our badge requirements (see our web site at http://rehs.rutgers.edu), or your radioactive material work has changed and a dosimeter is no longer needed, please send a note along with your badge by campus mail to Debbie Hrabinski at REHS. Thank you for your anticipated cooperation with the dosimetry program! |
