Conference moira::parenting

    Wouldn't the "Right to Know" act cover some of this??  Go to the main
    lobby in your facility, and there should be a large poster with details
    explaining your "Right to Know".  I know that this includes what types
    of chemicals you're working with/near, but I think it may also extend
    further than that.  Either way, there's probably some type of reference
    on the poster as to who you could talk to for more information.  
    
    FWIW - I had an x-ray before I knew I was pregnant, of ribs/side.  They
    really didn't seem at all concerned about it, and said that there
    really isn't any possible problem until after you're further along, and
    the baby's "sticking out" more.  Of course this was just 1 x-ray, and
    not something day in, day out.  I would definitely consider finding a
    Dr. who feels a little more strongly about the potential negative
    affects of radiation on the baby.
    
    Good Luck!!
    Patty

    Is this in the US?
    
    If so, there are strict legal limits as to how much radiation (the name
    is REMs) that a person can be exposed to depending on age, sex, and
    maternity status.  I know.  I delivered two babies while working at
    CERN, a center for high energy research.  During my pregnancy with
    Dirk I was actually working on a PET scanner (similar to CAT scans but
    using a different physical principle), where we would use radio
    isotopes injected in animals and then scan them.
    
    We all wore radiation badges which were checked once a month for
    unusual doses of radiation.  During the time that I knew I was
    pregnant, I avoided going in the room where the isotopes were kept but
    I didn't worry if I had to go in there or whatever.  After all,
    legally, the dosages in the room could not be above normal background
    and it was only if there had been some accident that I risked any
    exposure.
    
    There are devices which can be worn which monitor constantly the amount
    of radiation, similar to a geiger counter.  I wouldn't recommend them
    for anyone but an expert who really understands physics because there
    is an enormous amount of background radiation in the form of cosmic
    rays passing through our bodies every second.  This thing going
    click....click..click...click  etc, could drive a worrier crazy.  These
    are usually used only for people dealing with radiation in a risky
    situation.  Like having to go into a contaminated area.
    
    However, I am quite certain that if your sister-in-law is in any "civilized"
    country, there are laws which allow her to be exempted from any duty
    dealing with any type of additional radiation.  If it bothers her, she
    should take action.  
    
    If she needs more information, I would suggest contacting the health
    physics department of any university which has any kind of reactor or
    whatever on site.  They will be able to explain all the problems and
    options.
    
    Cheryl

    My assumption here is that your sister is NOT working at DEC.  and my
    first "knee jerk" reaction here is wondering if contacting some agency,
    and OSHA comes to mind, might be of any assistance.  OSHA covers
    hazards in the workplace.  FWIW, I have asked my  husband to contact
    you off-line, he works for EH&S and this is part of his job.
    
    The question I have is, has anyone who works for that department, say
    and does roughly the same job, successfully delivered baby, recently? 
    Was the baby healthy?  Has there been any high incidences of cancer
    among the workers?  If she can answer NO to these questions, then just
    a rough opinion that she will *probably* do OK.  I can't believe she is
    working in an environment with radiation and doesn't wear a dosemeter,
    which would measure radiation exposure.  In a simple way, what do x-ray
    technitians do?  Do they get a 9 month leave of absence from their
    jobs?
    
    Lyn
    

    Thanks for the replies. I will pass on the information to her. I don't
    understand much about levels of radiation and such so I go by what she
    tells me. I think she is just worried since it is her first and in the
    US she says that there are regulations with respect to levels, etc in
    the workplace as such as hers. 
    
    Thanks again.
    
    Shaila

    ....Oh yes, she works in the US - in Massachusetts.

    If she works in the US and she does not wear a radiation badge then
    that must mean that there is no requirement for it because the
    radiation dose in her work is below any levels requiring one.  The US
    Atomic Energy Agency is very strict on these things.  If you are at
    risk you must wear one.  It is not a matter of choice.  After all, if
    the employers exposed people to radiation without measuring it, they
    would be liable.  As I said, there are federal regulations which MUST
    be observed.
    
    And I would not go too much on what other workers have or have not had or
    done.  You would need the entire case histories of all people who ever
    worked there to provide reliable statistics on this.  If, for some
    reason, your sister-in-law managed to track down the one woman who,
    through no fault of the company, delivered a deformed child or lost a
    baby or whatever, it might terrify her for no justifiable reason.  
    
    The only way, in my opinion, to alleviate the worry is for her to
    inform herself about the law and make sure that the company is adhering
    to it.
    
    Cheryl

    I suggest she do whatever is necessary to make sure the fetus is NOT 
    exposed to the radiation.  Aren't employers REQUIRED to reassign
    individuals who have health concerns regarding work?  This isn't
    even permanent.  The employer sounds off base to me.  They SHOULD
    respect her concerns and if they don't I would be even quicker
    to make sure I got appropriate action to remove the hazard.
    
    One has to watch out for themselves, and the offspring!
    
    Jeff

    Thanks for all the suggestions/comments. I agree with all who said that
    her concerns and her child's are more important than regulations and
    statistics. I have learned to not go by statistics. I tend to fall in
    the (1 - safe_probability).:-)
    
    She is doing everything she can but it is too much stress. The lack of
    cooperation she got made her so agitated that she had to take Friday
    off and stay home to cool off.
    
    Thanks again.
    
    Shaila