[ RadSafe ] Annual dose from Nature/Background/Man-made sources

[Brennan, Mike (DOH)]

While I was never a fan of the old pie chart, I am less a fan of the new
one and the message sent by changing it.

I don't believe that medical exposure should be included in chart
background or average exposure.  No own receives an "average" medical
exposure: they either receive a medical exposure or they do not.  If you
have 100 people and 10 of them receive medical exposures of 1,000 mR
each, their exposure in no way affects the other 90 people.  If those
ten get 10,000 mR each, it STILL doesn't effect the other.  Changing the
number of people in the population changes the average, but doesn't
change the effect on the people receiving exposure, or those not.

The other problem is the implied message that as all radiation dose is
bad (LNT), any increase in dose must be bad.  However, assuming the
medical practitioners requesting the procedures causing the dose are
doing it responsibly (not in all cases a safe assumption, I grant you),
medical exposure should decrease the overall risk to the person
receiving it.  If the dose does not serve a purpose that decrease risk
or increase the effectiveness of treatment, then it ought not be done.  

I don't expect either of these messages to be conveyed along with the
chart, let alone in the chart itself.  I expect that the chart will give
the general public information of questionable value, that they will
misinterpret. 

-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl] On
Behalf Of Muckerheide, Jim (CDA)
Sent: Tuesday, July 31, 2007 11:38 AM
To: Johnston, Thomas; radsafe at radlab.nl; Academic-Medical Radiation
Safety Officers listserve
Subject: RE: [ RadSafe ] Annual dose from Nature/Background/Man-made
sources

The new NCRP estimate for average medical exposure is 320 mr/yr, up from
54 mr/yr in 1987.  The 360 is from 300 nat bkgd (in the U.S., 240 in the
world) plus 60 medical (54) and other (6?)

Assuming nat bkgd at 300, and med is 320, will the new total bkgd be
625?, 630?  Up from "360" - and now we have to explain that to our
students and trainees, and the public.

(With 0.32 rem avg med doses, times U.S. 300 million people, is 100
million person-rem, each year?  Using 50 years for 'effective lifetime'
doses, 5 billion rem?  So LNT-nuts claim diagnostic medicine is killing
how many people in a generation? :-)  

Good grief :-(

Regards, Jim Muckerheide
 

>-----Original Message-----
>From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl
>[mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl] On Behalf Of Johnston, Thomas
>Sent: Tuesday, July 31, 2007 1:09 PM
>To: radsafe at radlab.nl; Academic-Medical Radiation Safety Officers 
>listserve
>Subject: [ RadSafe ] Annual dose from
>Nature/Background/Man-made sources
>
>I recently read a paper regarding the average doses from medical 
>diagnostic procedures has increased, rather than decreased. This is 
>primarily due to multi-slice CT imaging techniques. (Sorry, but I 
>cannot recall the journal!)
>
> 
>
>Question, will there be a change to the average annual dose of 360/year

>from Nature/Background/Man-made sources that we have been using for 
>some time? (Unless, of course, you happen to live in Denver, etc.) If 
>so, when will the change take effect? I know I should also pose this 
>question to the "Ask the Experts" on www.hps.com <http://www.hps.com/> 
>.
>
> 
>
>Does anyone have any insight on this matter? Yours thoughts and 
>comments are welcome.
>
> 
>
>Thomas P. Johnston
>
>Radiation Safety Officer
>
>New York Medical College
>
>Valhalla, NY 10595
>
>914-594-4448 office
>
>914-594-3665 fax
>
>914-557-5950 mobile
>
>tom_johnston at nymc.edu
>
> 
>
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