Pacemaker Club: Working with nuclear power!!

Working with nuclear power!!

by Cprice
2014-09-23 04:09:12
Interferences
3186 views
4 comments

Does anyone know if it's safe to work in a nuclear power plant if you have a icd or pacemaker fitted???

4 Comments

No problem

by Glyn - 2014-09-23 05:09:34

As a health physicist (radiological protection specialist to the non nuclear members) with 40years nuclear experience in the uk and having been on a number of plants since I had my CRD-D fitted. No problem.

Hi Cprice.........

by Tattoo Man - 2014-09-24 03:09:10

..................this Forum just never fails to impress me......

Where else do you get direct contact with people with PMs and other kit who actually work in the Nuclear Industry..?

I am pleased for you that you have got responses.

Tattoo Man

Nuclear Power

by ChrisD - 2014-09-24 08:09:10

I work in the Nuclear power industry. There is no issue other than perhaps the type of metal detector at the access point.

Working with a ICD in a NPP.

by Peter341 - 2016-01-07 06:01:16

Hi, I work in a nuclear power plant and had an ICD implanted in 2008. There are serious electromagnetic hot-spots in the plant, such as generators, transformers and high voltage power-lines which produce an electromagnetic field far beyond the recommendations of the ICD manufacturer.
To be able to work and walk "normally" around the plant, I bought a detector, the "Cardioman". This device gives a warning when your stepping into a zone where the EM field strength exceeds the limits for PM's and ICD's.
Must say it's very comforting. You don't have to be on guard all the time for strong EMF's, while the device warns you in time.
In the 8 years I have the ICD now, it never reacted on my work and never gave any indications of alarms when checked in the hospital. For me a confirmation, the Cardioman works. Must say, I never got the urge to test the ICD by getting closer to a generator, beyond the alarm indicators.

Furthermore. Working in the nuclear part of the plant, never gave any reaction or indication of a malfunction. Must say that the radiation levels in a NPP are much lower than in a hospital.
Though neutron radiation is another thing I guess. Normally it's hazardous enough but for a medical implant I don't know the extra risks. I can imagine though that the steel parts in the device contain Cobalt 59 which could be ionized into Co60. That could be a problem. I haven't found any literature on that so far. But in my 8 years working in a NPP it hasn't been a problem yet.