[ RadSafe ] Collective Dose and Death

[Lemieux, Bryan P]

Sun burns are caused by the Ultraviolet radiation though the heat you feel is from the infrared.  Intuitively you might think that heating is what leads to the burns, but that isn't the case.  Similar radiation burns are seen from UVR sources when they are not properly handled (such as face and corneal burns from UV transilluminators used in biomedical research).

See for reference the discussion by ICNIRP - http://www.icnirp.de/documents/UVWorkersHP.pdf and http://www.icnirp.de/documents/UV2004.pdf 

Regards,


Bryan Lemieux, M.S., CHP
Radiation Safety Officer
University of Tennessee Health Science Center
3 N Dunlap St. S110 Van Vleet Bldg
Memphis, TN 38163
Phone:  901-448-6114
Fax:      901-448-7774

Please note my new email address: blemieux at uthsc.edu




-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu [mailto:radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu] On Behalf Of Otto G. Raabe
Sent: Thursday, January 06, 2011 10:16 AM
To: The International Radiation Protection (Health Physics) Mailing List
Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Collective Dose and Death

At 10:11 PM 1/5/2011, Howard Long wrote:
>Sunshine, 20 min a week for a year to arms and face, is needed, although
>30 x that burns, if at one sitting.
>Sunshine, better than aspirin, illustrates inappropriatness of 
>collective dose of ionizing radiation because more similar. Right, Otto?
*******************************
I don';t see the connection.

Sunlight is is more complex. The burns are caused by infrared but the 
skin cancers are caused by ultraviolet near the other end of the 
visible light spectrum.

  I don't think there is a linear relationship between skin cancer 
risk and ultraviolrt exposure. In fact, I believe there is an 
effective threshold.

Otto


**********************************************
Prof. Otto G. Raabe, Ph.D., CHP
Center for Health & the Environment
University of California
One Shields Avenue
Davis, CA 95616
E-Mail: ograabe at ucdavis.edu
Phone: (530) 752-7754   FAX: (530) 758-6140
*********************************************** 
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