Limit for Exposure to "Hot Particles" on the Skin-1ADD89F5

Report No. 106 addresses the identified potential for a limited number of workers in the nuclear industry to come in contact with microscopic particles that contain beta- emitting radionuclides, the so called "hot particles." Deposition of one of these particles on the skin raises some unique problems of potential biological effects and exposure limits. The Report treats these, assessing first the biological effects of irradiation of the skin and, subsequently, evaluation of radiobiological experiments with hot particles. An exposure limit is derived in terms of the number of beta particles emitted from a radioactive particle in contact with the skin.