A further consideration is the beta dose to the hands resulting from
handling objects eontaminated wit) fallout material.
Although sone date are
available on beta burns from handling rad oactive objects, the conditions
are so Gifferent fro: those associate wit. fallout that somparisonsa probsbly would not be walid *
If the etove assumptions and calcu ations are correct concerning con
tamination of a genera! area from fallout. than the transfer of all the
radioactive material to the hands from an object of equal area would not
constitute a hazard,
“tis, one might ennaider uring as eriterta for zon-
itoring objects, the dose reading: givan above for monitoring personnel
outside the genera’ radiation field.
no#
However, the problem is more conplex since the hands aay come intec
contact with cortaziuatec surfaces many tines larger in area than the
hends, with an uncsterrined percentage of activity being transferred to
the hands,
Of courses, an adied uncertainiy is the frequency of washing of
the hands and/or the rubbing off of the waterial froz the hands.
Further, one wight speculate that « given surface could have signifi~eantly higher ecotaerination than the general ares and that the handling of
such a surface could constitute a greater r'sk.
This might be true because
of the greater amumt of activity transferred to the hands or because
of
the doses deliverec during the time of actually handling the object.
The
uncertainty of the percentage of? transfer of material bas been mentioned.
One uncertainty in tie secand case {se fre length of time the object would
apa
be handled,
eee ew
®*Petea Ray Burns of Huran Sein", Fa—wit or, @F al. The Jounel cf the
Averican Fedical Axsoctation, F, lal, be 4. cept. 24, 1949.
mre,
METALG