HOW DO I USE A CONTROL BADGE/DOSIMETER?
A separate dosimeter known and labeled as a control dosimeter is included with each dosimeter shipment to monitor radiation received in transit or storage. When the dosimeters are returned to LANDAUER for processing and analysis, the control dosimeter exposure is subtracted from each individual dosimeter exposure in the shipment to separate the occupational dose from the background exposure.
It is very important that the control dosimeter(s) assigned to a shipment accompany that shipment in transit both from and to LANDAUER. And, if you are returning dosimeters that shipped separately from the regular shipment for the wear date, include any control dosimeters that accompanied those shipments.
Do not use the control dosimeter for any other purpose! Store control dosimeters away from radiation with dosimeters of the same type and wear date when not in use (do not store dosimeters near a radioactive source or in an X-ray room)
I ADDED A BADGE AND RECEIVED ANOTHER CONTROL. WHAT DO I DO WITH THE CONTROL?
A control dosimeter is always shipped with a badge shipment whether it is your routine shipment or a separate shipment for a newly added dosimeter to the account. The control dosimeter assigned to a shipment should accompany that shipment in transit both from and to LANDAUER. Do not use the control dosimeter for any other purpose!
Store control dosimeters away from radiation with dosimeters of the same type and wear date when not in use (do not store dosimeters near a radioactive source or in an X-ray room). When returning dosimeters that shipped separately from the regular shipment for the wear date, include the control dosimeters that accompanied those shipments
I CANNOT LOCATE A CONTROL TO RETURN… CAN YOU HELP ME?
LANDAUER can arrange to automatically subtract a calculated average background exposure from the dosimeters in your shipment when a control dosimeter was not included with your return shipment. The service calculates a fraction of a millirem per day that totals approximately six mrem per month starting from the manufacturing date of the dosimeter and ending with the readout date. The formula for this service is based on the data presented in NCRP Report No. 94 “Exposure of the Population in the United States and Canada from Natural Background Radiation” published in 1988 by the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements.
CAN I HAVE EXTRA CONTROLS INCLUDED WITH MY SHIPMENT?
LANDAUER automatically supplies a control dosimeter (at no charge) for each account and can supply additional control dosimeters (at no charge) to help you structure your program for control handling. For example, if you return dosimeters in many shipments instead of one, we can arrange to routinely ship additional control dosimeters so that you can include a control dosimeter with each shipment returned separately to LANDAUER for processing.
WHY DID WE GET A REPORT INDICATING NO CONTROL WAS RETURNED?
In general, the control dosimeter that was returned may not have been the same wear date. Also, if an additional dosimeter was added during the wear period, the control dosimeter shipped with the non-routine shipment may not have been included in the return shipment.
WE HAVE SEVERAL SUBACCOUNTS. IS IT NECESSARY TO HAVE A CONTROL WITH EACH?
LANDAUER can replace multiple subaccount control dosimeters with a master control for an account when we ship all of your dosimeters to one place and they are stored at one location