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| Beta Radiation Dose to the Skin -- Geometry of Spill |
The variables you need to enter on the form on the previous page are schematically depicted in the Figure above. As you might appreciate, some of these variables are difficult to determine. Therefore, you need only provide crude estimates. These values will provide a radiation dose estimate that will be of sufficient accuracy for a risk assessment.
First, try to "eyeball" the volume of solution that you spilled on your skin or PPE. This will usually be about a few cubic centimeters. If you don't know or can't guess the volume, try to "guesstimate" the area of the spill, in square centimeters. Divide that number by 3 to get an estimate of the volume spilled. For example, if the area of the spill ("wet spot") appears to be about 10 square centimeters, then about 3 cc was spilled.
To perform the calculation, you will need to know the concentration (in microcuries per cc) of radioactivity in the solution that was spilled.
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