Any resident RSOs in the house?

Mar 31, 2013
234
O'day 23 Pa
Had a little run in with Tritium at work shall we say, I'm looking for a second opinion from a qualified source..
 
Jan 8, 2015
360
MacGregor 26S, Goman Express 30 Kerr Reservoir
Had a little run in with Tritium at work shall we say, I'm looking for a second opinion from a qualified source..
I work with uranium on a daily baisis, depending on your situation I may or may not be able to offer a useful opinion
 

SFS

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Aug 18, 2015
2,065
Currently Boatless Okinawa
I'm not qualified to comment, as my 30+ years in the lab almost never involved radiation (with the exception of some shielded detectors on gas chromatography instruments). However, additional info would help, probably shared via PM when you find someone who IS qualified to comment.

If this was at work, and there is not an RSO for you to consult, then OSHA may be able to help (with side effects, to your employer - no pun intended).
 
Mar 31, 2013
234
O'day 23 Pa
I got a small scratch from an instrument used with tritium at work, they took urine samples 24 and 48 hrs later, both came back as being ~2 milirems which is pretty small, just wondering what long term effects are likely to be. Everything I've read involves much larger and or continuous exposure.
 
Jan 8, 2015
360
MacGregor 26S, Goman Express 30 Kerr Reservoir
I got a small scratch from an instrument used with tritium at work, they took urine samples 24 and 48 hrs later, both came back as being ~2 milirems which is pretty small, just wondering what long term effects are likely to be. Everything I've read involves much larger and or continuous exposure.
2 millirems is insignificant. In comparision, the average americian recieves ~ 360 millirems per year from natural background radiation. Dental X rays are about 15 millirems each. Tritium has very low energy gamma rays which is why it is the choice for use in research labs.
 
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Jun 6, 2006
6,990
currently boatless wishing Harrington Harbor North, MD
Does it have alpha or beta particle emissions? those are stopped by a piece of paper but if you get it under the skin........it is ionizing radiation just the same
 
Aug 22, 2017
1,609
Hunter 26.5 West Palm Beach
I usually work in Sieverts, so I don't have a feel for REM doses. I just looked up that 1 Sievert =100REM. I think that means that 10 microseiverts (aka 10uSv) is 1 millirem, but check my math. It's late right now. That means that you are looking at about a 20uSv dose if my math is good. Below is some information that should put that in perspective

Normal background radiation at my house is usually about .15-.20uSv per hour, if it hasn't rained in a while. It's lower after a rain storm. .2 is considered a safe normal level. .27 is the global average. That comes out to about 1,750uSv/year at .2/hr if my math is good tonight.

Eating a banana normally adds about 0.1uSv to that. A single modern dental x-ray adds about 5-10uSv if Wiki is correct tonight. So you are looking at the equivalent of a couple of dental x-rays or eating a couple hundred bananas, from the information I have here.

Flying in an airplane gets you about 3uSv/hr.

Typical annual work related dose for an average stewardess is said to be about 1,500uSv/year

Some (brown) beaches in Brazil have a background level as high as 90uSv/hr (dangerous)

NRC requires a fence around an area that is at or above 1,000uSv/hr (really dangerous)

The ICRP recommended max occupational level (for nuke workers) is 50,000uSv/year with a max of 100,000uSv in 5 consecutive years.

The average dose to people living within 16km of the 3-mile Island incident was said to be about 80uSv.

Some Fukushima evacuees from the surrounding area are estimated to have gotten about 68,000uSv in that event.

The occupational limit for an astronaut is 1,000,000uSv over the course of his career. Those guys still look pretty healthy in their senior years.

A 5,000,000uSv dose over a short period of time is considered 50% likely to be fatal within 30 days. (this is off the charts)
 
Aug 22, 2017
1,609
Hunter 26.5 West Palm Beach
Alpha doesn't have legs. A piece of paper can stop an alpha particle. Gama & x are the ones that penetrate & travel.
 
Mar 31, 2013
234
O'day 23 Pa
Alpha doesn't have legs. A piece of paper can stop an alpha particle. Gama & x are the ones that penetrate & travel.
unless you open the skin and push them in with say, a sharp needle <slaps self...hard>
 
Aug 22, 2017
1,609
Hunter 26.5 West Palm Beach
Yes, but my point was that an alpha source will only have a very localized effect, unless it is in the blood stream.

I'm not familiar with the material that you were working with. I don't know the half life & I don't know how quickly the body sheds it naturally. Kelating agents may be available to speed shedding if needed. It sounds like your dosage is pretty low already.
 
Mar 31, 2013
234
O'day 23 Pa
very much into the blood stream, tested at 24 and 48 hrs and was in urine.
Tritium biological half life is 7-14 days if I understand it correctly.
Tritium seems to want to find water, so I was advised to drink beer, lots, advice I can make work :)
 
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Aug 22, 2017
1,609
Hunter 26.5 West Palm Beach
If it is in the urine, it is being shed already. If the half life is that short, then the remaining portion will degrade pretty quickly. You may not be at risk any worse than the average airline pilot, over the course of the first year. After that, you should be better off.
 
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Aug 22, 2017
1,609
Hunter 26.5 West Palm Beach
Actually, at that half life, even with no shedding, you should be down to a normal background level in something like 3 months.
 
Aug 22, 2017
1,609
Hunter 26.5 West Palm Beach
If you want to keep an eye on things yourself, you can get a pocket sized Geiger counter these days for something like $200. Amazon probably even has them.
 
Jun 4, 2004
834
Hunter 340 Forked River, NJ
FYI: Hey guys, Tritium is a Beta particle emitter = electrons with mass. According to Wikipedia, Beta particles from tritium can penetrate only about 6.0 mm of air, and they are incapable of passing through the dead outermost layer of human skin. The Beta particle makes them useful in biologic research as a tracer when attached to other molecules.
 
Apr 16, 2017
841
Federation NCC-1701 Riverside
Wierd place to get medical advice...

I took a course for certification for radiographic inspection, for a non destructive testing (NDT) career. Big lesson learned was water is a great insulator for radiation. Given how weak this stuff is if it is deep in body just the water in body should limit effects.

The wiki seems to suggest we already swim in this stuff.
 
Aug 22, 2017
1,609
Hunter 26.5 West Palm Beach
FYI: Hey guys, Tritium is a Beta particle emitter = electrons with mass. According to Wikipedia, Beta particles from tritium can penetrate only about 6.0 mm of air,
That's interesting. The beta sources I work around can generate hits several feet away from the open shutter in open air. They also go inches to a precision sensor after passing through a test medium that is being measured. The beta particles from tritium must be much lower energy.

That being the case, I'm led to wonder how the levels are being measured in the urine sample. The tube must be getting submerged into the sample?????
 
Mar 31, 2013
234
O'day 23 Pa
That's interesting. The beta sources I work around can generate hits several feet away from the open shutter in open air. They also go inches to a precision sensor after passing through a test medium that is being measured. The beta particles from tritium must be much lower energy.

That being the case, I'm led to wonder how the levels are being measured in the urine sample. The tube must be getting submerged into the sample?????
http://www.perkinelmer.com/category...DhTbbXk_bXac5kFqZ7XZSkOlOgTJ3izBoCnnwQAvD_BwE
 
Feb 14, 2014
7,399
Hunter 430 Waveland, MS
I am qualified as a Safety prevention, not in individual health aspects.
I can tell you this... Alpha particles were never the long term exposure problem.
We all drink Tritium every day.;)

The Safety key is alway low dosage and minimize exposure time.

Sounds like you are low dosed and minimum exposure.

Drink more beer for Dilution!!!
Jim...
 
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