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The French Defence Radiation Protection Service (SPRA) conducted a study to assess the radiation exposure of personnel assigned to the maintenance of the Palmier radar in an Air Force Base. The aim of the study was the assessment of the annual effective doses received by personnel assigned to these maintenance operations, and the measurement of equivalent dose rates in the area in order to realise radiological zoning. In two measurement campaigns, the annual individual effective doses, measured by passive whole-body OSL Inlight® dosimeters, consolidated the results obtained by radiometric measurements. Moreover, the equivalent dose rate shows wide variations in relation to the position of the operator in the emitter's area. From these results, the authors propose recommendations for categorisation of workers, radiological zoning and dose monitoring procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Washing is usually used to reduce the risk of a skin contamination. Skin biopsies were used and contaminations were realised with 1) soluble radioactive calcium 2) insoluble particles of uranium. The result obtained with different wash liquids are presented here. Water and soap had no effect but hypertonic DTPA was the better therapy to remove uranium from skin.

Some neutral chirurgical soap, a solution of diethylen penta acetic acid (DTPA) at 1% and a solution at 25% of monocalcic trisodium salt of DTPA in serum have been studied on models of cutaneous contamination. Cesium 137 (137Cs) and Plutonium 239 (239Pu) have been used for the contamination. This research gives a protocol for external cutaneous decontamination which could be used in reception units for radiocontaminated wounded. Even the radioelement is unknown, DTPA at 25% represents a good solution for the treatment of general contamination, which is not the case for DTPA at 1%. A soap in which DTPA at 1% has been added is adapted for large cutaneous contamination. The treatment of ocular contamination is also studied in this article.