[ RadSafe ] Activity versus dose/exposure

[franz.schoenhofer at chello.at]

Carol et al.,

It seems that there is a fundamental misunderstanding among many (most???) RADSAFErs. The dose after a nuclear contamination is only to a small percentage due to direct gamma-ray exposure, more important from inhalation,  but overwhelmingly due to ingestion.

Gamma-ray Dose Constants will not help to determine the dose after a nuclear accident. Additionally the contribution from alpha- and beta emitters may play an important role, depending on the circumstances of the accident. 

This is one of the lessons I learnt after the Chernobyl accident. 

Do you have data on food contamination around Fukushima and the diet of people living there? I doubt.

Franz


 
---- Carol Marcus <csmarcus at ucla.edu> schrieb:
> 
> Dear John:
> 
> It's called the "Specific Gamma-ray Dose Constant" and you can find a 
> table of them on pp 6-10 to 6-14 in the third edition (1998) of 
> Schleien, Slaback, and Birky's "Handbook of Health Physics and 
> Radiological Health".
> 
> Carol S. Marcus, Ph.D., M.D.
> Depts. of Radiation Oncology and of Radiological Sciences
> David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
> 
> At 08:40 AM 6/22/2011, John Gerald Center, Jr wrote:
> >Is there any sort of quick reference guide available that compares 
> >the activity of different radioisotopes to expected dose/exposure 
> >for that isotope?
> >
> >Thanks in advance,
> >
> >John
> >--
> >John G. Center, Jr.
> >Radiation Safety Officer
> >3922 Wood Hall
> >Western Michigan University
> >1903 W. Michigan Ave.
> >Kalamazoo, MI  49008-5410
> >
> >Office (269) 387-5933
> >Cell  (269) 744-0996
> >E-mail: john.center at wmich.edu
> >Fax  (269) 387-5888
> >_______________________________________________
> >You are currently subscribed to the RadSafe mailing list
> >
> >Before posting a message to RadSafe be sure to have read and 
> >understood the RadSafe rules. These can be found at: 
> >http://health.phys.iit.edu/radsaferules.html
> >
> >For information on how to subscribe or unsubscribe and other 
> >settings visit: http://health.phys.iit.edu
> 
> _______________________________________________
> You are currently subscribed to the RadSafe mailing list
> 
> Before posting a message to RadSafe be sure to have read and understood the RadSafe rules. These can be found at: http://health.phys.iit.edu/radsaferules.html
> 
> For information on how to subscribe or unsubscribe and other settings visit: http://health.phys.iit.edu

--
Franz Schoenhofer, PhD, MinRat
Habicherg. 31/7
A-1160 Vienna
Austria
mobile: ++43 699 1706 1227