A study of the decontamination effect of commercial detergents on the skin

Titanium dioxide paste is generally used as the radiological skin decontaminant in the radiation control area at Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute (JNC) Tokai works. It is a typical and proven skin decontaminant in the nuclear industry, but there is a disadvantage in that it has a short shelf life. Recently, many detergents applicable as skin decontaminants have become available in non-nuclear industries such as cosmetics and sanitation. They are easily acquired and have an advantage in that stimulus to the skin is mild, because these products have been developed for the human body. In this study, the decontamination factor of the commercial detergents for each nuclide was examined using imitation skin. Sheets of raw pig skins were contaminated with a nitric-acid solution containing 144Ce, 137Cs, 106Ru or 60Co, and then washed with various detergents such as a neutral detergent, cleansing cream and orange oil. The nuclide removal rates of some of the commercial detergents examined were nearly equal to that of titanium dioxide, thus proving that they show satisfactory decontamination performance as a skin decontaminant. (author)