construction related problem

Don Leek (leek@ned1.sims.nrc.ca)
Tue, 10 Feb 1998 09:21:51 -0500 (EST)

We have some wooden steps beside our DRX-400 magnet to
make it easier for users to insert their samples. Recently
I have noticed some metal filings on the outside of the
magnet at the point where the user's feet come closest to
the magnet. We have seen no degradation in the quality of
our spectra and I am able to clean off these filings with
a tissue. There is some construction going on in our
building and I believe that we may be picking up metal
on our shoes as we walk through the halls, although I
can't be sure 100% sure of the source.

I would like to find a way of ensuring that no magnetic
dust gets tracked into the NMR lab. I am sure that I am
not the first person to encounter this problem. In
particular, I am sure that the MRI people must have ways of
preventing such things from happening. For example, is
it possible that there are commercially available magnetic
mats that one could put at the door to clean the shoes of
anyone who enters the lab?

Thanks in advance.

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Donald M. Leek
Steacie Institute for Molecular Sciences
National Research Council Canada
Ottawa, Canada K1A 0R6
phone: (613) 993-6356
fax: (613) 952-0068
email: leek@ned1.sims.nrc.ca
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