You pretty well understand the pipe problem. The pipes themselves are not radioactive, it is the radioactive particulates that have adhered themselves to the inside of the pipe. It is not impossible for radioactive particulates to float in water. And they are well known for acting like plaque in our arteries and just sticking to the sides of the pipes. However, the water in the cooling pools is different from the the coolant water and is usally maintained in a constant filtration system, similar to a swimming pool. You can swim in the upper layers of cooling pools with real radiation threats, but going lower will kill you. However, not being familiar with oil production, I do not understand the connection between petroleum and radioactive particulates.
As for your dosimetery (the little badge), it is a strange concept, but is actually considered very accurate. The major flaw is that is is usually worn on the front portion of the torso and may not detect all of the radiation you did receive. We also wear electronic dosimeters that are checked daily (the little badge is only checked every month or sometimes only quarterly). Had you been wearing the electronic sensor, it would have told you when immediately upon receiving a higher than normal dose.
Many factors may apply to why you received such a higher dose then your techs. Some may be related to simply standing closer or for a longer period of time to something than the others, or if you leaned against a concrete wall. But places like Los Alamos have plenty of little hot spots. They are not a violation of any law, it is only a small amount of radiation (NOT radioactive particles) that is being emitted. This hot spot is usually marked, but sometimes, no one will have found it yet. Until their electronic dosimetery goes off.
I would pick up more than usual amounts myself, but I would be looking for leaks, so that we may investigate and correct or mark them.
But if we wore dosimeters for one day (24 hour period), it would probably scare alot of people. As previously mentioned, radiation is everywhere, it is part of nature and completely natural. And yes, even people in the same house or office would show different readings.
Oooh, didn’t check this thread in a while. I worked for Siemens for 11 years in the division that designed and built Gamma Cameras for nuclear medicine scanning. Since we had to use various radiation sources to test and calibrate the gamma cameras, we all had to wear film badges.
There was one guy who, over a period of many months, consistantly had a higher reading than his co-workers. (Not dangerously higher, but enough to raise eyebrows.) They went so far as to follow him around the office with a survey meter over an entire week. They didn’t find anything unusual but his dose was still higher. So they suspected his home. They went out and scanned his house. No hot spots.
They finally had him walk through his bedtime routine. Off came the glasses, put 'em on the dresser. Off came the watch, put it in a box on his dresser. Off came the film badge, put it in the box with his watch. Turn off the lights. See the pretty glow from the box on his dresser! Oh, that’s just the glow-in-the-dark dial on his watch. His very old watch. With the radium-painted numbers and hands.
With all the environmental scanning they did, they never actually scanned HIM from head to toe!
(FYI - high temperature will cause fogging of the film badge. It was fairly common for a person to have a high reading, and find out that the badge went through the clothes drier. It was easy to detect a heat-related fogging though, because they designed the badges to have small areas of shielding. If the entire film was equally fogged, chances are it was heat related.)
One other thing I’ll mention. I had heard that the orange “Fiesta Ware” dishes from the 50’s and 60’s was made with uranium oxide. I went to a so-called “antique” show (probably better called a “nostalga” show) and got a couple of plates. We measured the radiation coming off them, and they were at a level that NRC regulation required they be roped off with a warning sign.
And to think - people used to EAT off those things! (You’re advised not to any more, but more due to the risk of heavy metal poisoning, not radiation effects.)