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2. Vehicle in Buffer Zone: If a vehicle is allowed to pull up and stay close to the
radiation detectors, then that vehicle may reduce the background radiation level as
seen by the detector. We have seen reductions of about 15%, or very nearly the same
as the alarm point. Therefore, if this vehicle drives off at the same time that another
vehicle is within the portal, the radiation detector sees the increase in background
radiation, and alarms. Our recommendation is for vehicles to stay out of the 3 m (10
ft) immediately before, after, and behind the detectors. Vehicles should only enter
the buffer zone while driving through at a constant, slow speed.
NOTE:
Either of these first two alarms may be verified by looking at the radiation
profile of the vehicle. The first and last samples should be very similar if the
background radiation has not changed while the vehicle was present.
3. Voids: If the scrap metal has been loaded unevenly on the trailer, especially when
dense bales are set on the axles with empty space between axles, an alarm may occur
when the radiation detector sees the drop in radiation level as caused by the dense
bale, and then sees the increase in radiation level as the empty space is encountered.
Inspection of the scrap loading or screening with a portable detector may allow this
determination to be made. Our portal system can avoid this problem if the bales are
stacked on a flat-bed trailer, but not if the bales are inside a roll-off trailer.
4. Driver with Medical Tests: If the radiation profile shows a large increase at the very
beginning of the vehicle, the driver should be screened with a portable radiation
detector to determine if he is “hot.” This will not happen with X-rays, but with stress
tests, colonoscopies, and other tests involving radioactive “dyes.” These radiation
levels can be very big. A reading with a hand-held radiation detector may be 1000
times the background reading. Such an individual may be "hot" for weeks, with the
radiation reading declining a little each day.
5. Drive-By Medical: Many sites are located very close to a major road, and the alarm
may be triggered by drive-by vehicles with people who have had medical tests. Again,
because they are so "hot" they only need to be within 46 m (50 yd) or so to set off
the alarm. Alternatively, a worker on-site will have a test of this nature, and the alarm
will be triggered intermittently until that worker is identified. This kind of alarm may
be very aggravating and difficult to diagnose.