Originally Posted by sheltiedave
Don, we do this at government rad sites, and no one can make it through totally clean. Tyvek suits are not made to be 100% wet barrier effective - they are moisture resistant for about 45 minutes. They are permeable, they also degrade and they abrade.
I would be going in to a room in outer Level B with supplied air and a climatized blower, and underwear with Tyvek coveralls underneath. All interfaces would be double taped.
Coming out of the hot room, I would step into an enclosed zippered positive pressured automated three level headed shower, with a 50% bleach and tepid water wash for two minutes.
The next zippered enclosure would need to be a negative pressure HEPA unit, where you would cut yourself out of the suit with a helper. The next garbage can would catch the Tyvek and underwear.
The next stop would be the antiseptic shower, and then into hospital tyvek for the rest of the work day. NOTHING going in with the nurse would go home with the nurse...no jewelry, shoes, glasses, NOTHING.
All of this is moot, because like all hospitals, infection control is placed into effect by doctors, and accomplished by the lowest paid people in the hospital staff, janitors. Hospitals are not staffed, nor are they equipped with the infection control apparatus and training needed to throttle all vectors for transmission.
I have worked in radiation hot cells where contaminants will end your career in one accidental breach of PPE, and end your life from cancer in twenty years or so. Defense in depth means you have three distinct engineering controls working at all times, and each of those three controls has yet another backup.
The hospital in Texas foolishly thought a few Tyvek changes, waste segregation, and simple Hudson spray applications, would take care of transmission vectors. They were grossly wrong, and at least two nurses, friends, family, folks who flew on the plane, workers at the various fliers jobs, and school children now are at risk. And this is just two people!
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