RADTriage
TM
Instruction & Information Manual
OBJECTIVE OF THE RADTriage
TM
: The RADTriage, a
stockpileable personal radiation detector, provides wearers, medical
personnel and law enforcement personnel timely personal radiation
exposure information in an event of a terrorist radiological incident or
industrial accident. RADTriage, with the amber laminated filter,
provides significantly longer life in direct sunlight. RADTriage, part
of the SIRAD
®
(Self-Indicating Radiation Alert Dosimeter) family of
SMART dosimeters, is uniquely designed to prevent erroneous
readings. It has a radiation-detecting Sensor Bar (a horizontal
rectangular bar between the numbered colored sensor reference bars)
with 0, 20, 50, 100 & 250 mSv bars on its top and 500, 1000, 2000,
4000 & 10,000 mSv bars on its bottom for triaging information in
emergencies. If, during or after the incident, the color of the Sensor
Bar has not changed, the wearer has not received radiation exposure
large enough to cause acute medical effects and therefore has peace
of mind. If the Sensor Bar changes color or darkens, radiation
exposure is indicated. In this case, further exposure should be
avoided. If the Sensor Bar has developed a darker color, e.g., above
250 mSv, the user should seek a medical evaluation. A person
exposed to a dose higher than 500 mSv should immediately contact
the emergency room of the nearest hospital.
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS: 1) Write your name and date
received on the back of the badge and note the color of the area
surrounding the dot within the FIT indicator. The area must be much
lighter than the color reference bar on its right. 2) Carry the
RADTriage in your wallet, purse or pocket. You may also hang it
from your neck or belt as you would carry an ID badge.
3) The RADTriage is a warning and casualty radiation dosimeter. It
supplements, but does not replace, other dosimeters or detectors that
you may be required to use. RADTriage may be the only dosimeter
worn by people who do not routinely work with radioactive materials
& radiation sources. 4) The amber film protects the radiation Sensor
Bar from prolonged exposure to ultraviolet (UV) and near UV light
from sunlight or fluorescent lights.
5) Do not deliberately expose
RADTriage to ionizing radiation. Protect RADTriage from prolonged
periods of exposure to high temperatures (above 140
o
F/60
o
C) and
UV/sunlight. This ensures the maximum usable life of the Sensor
Bar. 6) When issued, (a) the color of the Sensor Bar MUST closely
match with the zero (0) indicator of the Sensor Reference Bars and
(b) the dots of the FIT Indicator (located on the right hand end of the
Sensor Bar) should be dark in color while the surrounding area
should be lighter. Return the dosimeter to Nukepills.com for a
replacement if they are not so or the RADTriage is damaged in
shipment or defective. 7) The shelf life of this stockpileable
RADTriage can be extended for up to five years by keeping it in a
freezer when not in use.
INTRODUCTION: The RADTriage (USP# 7,227,158 and others) is
always active and ready to use. It is a smart dosimeter and has the
capability of monitoring shelf life, false positives/negatives and
tampering. When exposed to radiation, e.g., from a "dirty bomb", the
Sensor Bar of the RADTriage changes color instantly. The color
changes are permanent, cumulative and proportional to dose, thereby
providing the wearer and medical personnel instantaneous, easy to
read information on radiation exposure of the wearer to assess the
health risks and guide medical treatment.
TYPES OF RADIATION: The RADTriage Sensor Bar responds to
gamma/X-ray (energy higher than 30 KeV) and high energy (e.g.,
above 1 MeV) electrons/beta particles. Color development of the
Sensor Bar is essentially independent of dose rate. However,
protective films attenuate low energy (below 200 KeV) X-ray.
RADTriage will not be affected by normal exposures to diagnostic X-
rays (e.g., chest or dental) or security/airport X-ray/CAT scan
machines, except that multiple exposures (more than five) to such
will result in sufficient enough exposure to produce a detectable color
change in the Sensor Bar.
HOW TO READ THE RADIATION DOSE: Estimate the
exposure dose by comparing the color/shade of the Sensor Bar to the
Sensor Reference Bars. Find a bar which closely matches the
color/shade of the Sensor Bar and read the dose in mSv printed
adjacent to those bars. If the Sensor Bar develops a color in-between
any two adjacent bars, this indicates an in-between dose. For a nearly
tissue equivalent dosimeter, such as RADTriage, 1 rad = 1 rem = 10
mSv. It can be viewed in any light. However, we recommend reading
the dose under fluorescent lights for better accuracy. Color/shade
matching under other lights may not be as accurate. Dose can be
estimated with an uncertainty of about 20% with a color-matching
reference chart. Where additional accuracy is needed, a
spectrophotometer or an optical densitometer can be used to
determine the dose to within 10%.
Darkens/changes color
when radiation is
FIT Indicator and Color Reference Bar
These areas monitor the condition
and age of the RADTriage card itself.
Look under
“False Positive and Tamper Indicators” section
for information.
Match these blocks
to the Sensor Bar
to determine
exposure level
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