Labconco Protector Stainless Steel Radioisotope Laboratory Fume Hoods 1208 Series - Manuel (Page 25)

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Performance Features
The Protector Radioisotope Laboratory Hood has been engineered to provide you
the maximum in work area and personal safety. The by-pass air configuration on
the Radioisotope Fume Hood is totally dependent on air being supplied to the hood
from its surrounding environment for proper operation.
The hood itself is designed to handle radiochemical operations of all types. The
hood liner should be decontaminated manually by the operator. Water washdown
or flooding the surface with water is standard practice and results in about 50%
reduction of contamination on the 304 stainless steel liner material. A secondary
means of surface decontamination involves the use of organic solvents that can
result in reductions of contamination of up to 75%.
Even though the stainless steel seams are smooth to the touch, there are
microscopic voids within the surface in which radioactive particles can lodge and
are not easily removed by the above mentioned surface decontamination
procedures. Abrasion decontamination, which consists of sanding and/or scouring
may be required to dislodge these particles from your hood liner.
Radioisotope materials are, in essence, high-energy particles with different levels
of intensity. These levels are, alpha, beta, and gamma. Radioactive particles do
not just simply strike a barrier and bounce off, but rather are absorbed by the
barrier and physical decomposition on the molecular level can occur. In the case
of the alpha and some lower level beta radiation particles, human skin can act as an
effective barrier to this radiation without damage to the underlying tissues.