Re: Magnet Safety

axelson@acs.ucalgary.ca
Sat, 5 Mar 1994 11:19:50 -0700

(1) we bought a portable oxygen monitor for use during fills; the magnet
itself ( a 30 cm bore imaging magnet) is inside a separate (copper-lined)
room with a totally separate air-conditioning system (from the rest
of the building)
(2) we have a permanent vent to the outside
(3) the fire department does annual safety inspections anyway; we had the
entire staff of the local station (who would be responsible for
responding to any fires here) over here for a tour of the MRI lab;
we asked - and they agreed - that if there was a fire in the lab/magnet
area that they would just let it burn and they would stop it
outside the lab area instead because of the magnet; however, I should
note that we have also taken suitable precautions inside the lab to
make sure that the chance of a fire is remote, and if it occurs, there
is little else to burn anyway; these construction concerns were
addressed before we built the MRI addition so it may be quite a different
problem for someone to retrofit an existing facility

Regards,
Dave