Contamination Control (Module 5.0)

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering contamination categories, survey techniques, external and continuous monitoring systems, bioassay methods, and standard references from the RCT Contamination Control Student Guide.

Contamination

Radioactive material in an unwanted location, such as on personnel or in work areas.

Total Contamination

The arithmetic sum of the fixed (non-smearable) and loose (smearable) contamination levels present on a material.

Fixed Contamination

Radioactive surface contamination that is not easily transferred to other personnel or equipment through normal contact, measured using a direct survey technique.

Removable Contamination

Radioactive surface contamination that is easily transferred to other personnel or equipment through normal contact, measured by performing a transfer test with suitable sampling material.

Direct Survey Technique ("Frisking")

A measurement technique using portable survey instrumentation that detects total apparent surface contamination from both fixed and removable activity; it is the only method available to detect fixed contamination.

Standard Disk Smear Technique

A transfer sampling practice involving wiping moderate pressure in a $16\text{ square inch}$ "S" shape ($4\text{ inches}$ by $4\text{ inches}$) over approximately $100\text{ cm}^2$ of a surface to quantify removable contamination in units of $\text{dpm}/100\text{ cm}^2$.

Masslinn Cloth

A chemically treated cloth used to perform qualitative, large-area wipe surveys over surfaces not suspected to be contaminated as an indication of removable contamination.

Continuous Air Monitor (CAM)

A continuous monitoring instrument that samples air for airborne radioactivity by drawing it through a moving particulate filter or an internal detector, equipped with visual and audible alarms to warn personnel.

Process Monitoring Systems

Instrumentation designed to monitor facility operations and alert operators to abnormal conditions that could cause excessive releases of radioactivity into the facility or the environment.

Pre-job Surveys

Surveys performed prior to beginning work in radiological areas to evaluate hazards and determine appropriate work limitations and physical safeguards.

Personnel Monitors (Friskers)

Portable instruments equipped with sensitive hand-held detectors—most often Geiger-Mueller (GM) detectors for beta-gamma and scintillation detectors for alpha—used by personnel to survey themselves when exiting Contamination Areas and Radiological Buffer Areas.

Personnel Contamination Monitors (PCM)

Automated external whole-body monitoring systems that survey a worker's entire body for contamination within a period of a few seconds, providing a more reliable check than hand-held instruments.

Hand and Foot Monitors

Automated monitoring devices capable of checking hands and feet in a few seconds, typically equipped with larger detachable hand-held detectors to survey the remainder of the body faster than friskers.

Portal Monitors

"Door frame" type devices typically used only for beta-gamma monitoring that provide a final check to ensure contamination is not spread outside the facility to other facilities or the public.

Nasal Swab Survey

A monitoring procedure using Q-tips swabbed in the nose and counted in a smear counter, conducted upon discovering facial contamination or airborne radioactivity to evaluate potential internal deposition.

In-vivo Bioassay

An internal contamination assessment where an individual is placed inside an array of sensitive detectors (such as whole body, lung, or scanning bed counters) to measure the activity and energies of gamma ray emissions directly from within the body.

In-vitro Bioassay

An internal contamination assessment where urine or feces samples are collected and analyzed to determine the radionuclide type and activity in bodily waste, approximating the amount of internal intake.

Module 5.0 Exam Qualification Benchmark

The requirement that a student demonstrate knowledge of contamination control by obtaining a minimum score of $80\%$ on the Module 5.0 written examination.

DOE-STD-1098-99

The Department of Energy standard titled "DOE Radiological Control Standard" (1998), cited as a foundational regulatory reference for contamination control programs.

10 CFR 835

The federal regulation governing Occupational Radiation Protection that establishes legal mandates for radiological control and monitoring programs.