The

Avalanche

The official newsletter of the Cascade Chapter of the Health Physics Society.

David Gillette, RSO, LSO

Environmental Health and Safety

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center

1100 Fairview Avenue North, J3-200

PO Box 19024

Seattle, WA 98109

Fall 2005 Issue

President (Elect)’s Corner

It's a new year, the start of the 51st year of the Health Physics Society. This last year was highlighted with the release of the BEIR VII report, a new NCRP 147 improving the way shielding is determined for medical facilities, and proposed changes in security for large sources of radioactive materials. The HPS published or revised many of its position statements (available at the HPS website), such as Human Capital Crisis, Radioactive Source Control and Estimating Radiation Health Risks. The Society lost one of the pioneers in the radiation safety, Laurie Taylor died at age 102 last November. Also, two other giants in the field were lost this year, Newell Stannard and John Cameron.

The 50th anniversary meeting in Spokane was well attended and by all accounts a success. At this fall's CCHPS meeting, we are lucky to have John Gough and Jennifer Johnson (who were on the faculty of the HPS Summer School talking on medical health physics) along with David Salmon and Jeremy Cowan as speakers. The meeting will focus on shielding issues and the up coming HPS meeting in Portland.

This next year has a lot in store for Health Physicists, starting with the mid-year meeting in Scottsdale Arizona on January 22-25, 2006. The topic of the mid-year is "University, Medical, and Laboratory Health Physics". The 51st Annual meeting of the HPS will be in Providence Rhode Island on June 25-29, 2006. The 2006 HPS Summer school focus on Medical Health Physics and will be held the week before the annual meeting at the Brown University Campus in Providence. As you all know, preparations are underway for the 52nd HPS meeting to be held in Portland Oregon. Over the next two years, we will be planning for the Portland meeting and hope you all can help. If you cannot make the meetings, please be in contact with the Chair of the Local Arrangement Committee, Carl Bergsagal.

CCHPS Dues for 2005 and/or 2006

If you still haven’t paid for 2005, dues will be accepted at the next meeting. The cost is only $15.Benefits of membership include lowered cost of meetings, professional contacts, the Avalanche newsletter, and association with really great people. We will be collecting dues for 2006 at the meeting, or you can mail it to David.

2005 Fall Meeting

The meeting will be held November 4th, 2005, at the Women’s Club Building in Longview, WA. Please RSVP by October 26th via either email or phone to the Secretary. The cost of the meeting is $20 for members and $25 for non-members. Please RSVP to David Gillette by October 285th, 2005.

Agenda

9:30 Registration

9:30 Executive Committee meeting

10:00 Chapter Business Meeting

  • Treasurers report
  • New business
  • Old Business

10:30Discussion – Preparation for 2007 HPS meeting in Portland (Carl Bergsagal)

11:00Presentation – Jennifer Johnson, MS (UW Medical Center) and Dave Salmon (Empiricos LLC) - Intro to NCRP 147Structural Shielding Design for Medical X-Ray Imaging Facilities

12:00Lunch

1:00Presentation – Jeremy L. Corwin, CHP (Corwin Health Physics Inc) – PET/CT Shielding

2:00Presentation – John Gough, CHP (Swedish Medical Center) – Operational Experiences with Shielding at a Broadscope Medical Licensee

3:00Adjourn

Food

Bagels, coffee and juice will be provided before the meeting. Lunch will be a Pasta Buffet with lasagna, and fettuccine with chicken and broccoli, salad and focaccia bread. People with vegan or dietary constraints should contact the secretary to arrange other meal choices.

Directions to the meeting:

Woman's Club Building

835 21st Ave. in Longview WA

From North:

  • Take EXIT 40 toward WA-4 S / KELSO-LONGVIEW / LONG BEACH.
  • Turn RIGHT onto N KELSO AVE / WA-431. Continue to follow WA-431.
  • Turn RIGHT onto COWLITZ WAY / WA-4.
  • Stay STRAIGHT to go onto WASHINGTON WAY. WASHINGTON WAY becomes LOUISIANA ST.
  • Turn LEFT onto 17TH AVE.
  • Turn RIGHT onto WASHINGTON WAY.
  • Turn LEFT onto 21ST AVE.

From South I-5

  • Merge onto WA-432 W via EXIT 36 toward WA-4 / LONGVIEW / LONG BEACH.
  • Turn RIGHT onto 20TH AVE.
  • Turn LEFT onto E KESSLER BLVD.
  • Turn RIGHT onto 21ST AVE.

Parking

Free parking at the Women’s Club. The webpage for the Women’s Club is

CCHPS Fall Meeting RSVP

The RSVP date is October 28th, 2005. You can email, fax, or mail the requested information.

Name: ______

Phone: ______

FAX: ______

Employer:______

______

Please circle or indicate the appropriate answer:

I am a CCHPS member: YesNo

I will be attending the meeting: Yes No

I am enclosing my $20 ($25 for non-members):

Yes No

or I will pay at meeting

I am also enclosing my annual dues: Yes No

Mail, fax or e mail this form to:

David Gillette, RSO

Environmental Health and Safety

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center

1100 Fairview Avenue North, J3-200

PO Box 19024

Seattle, WA 98109

FAX: (206) 667-4048

E-mail: