[ RadSafe ] Hysteria 400 mSv /hr was over a limited area

[parthasarathy k s]

The highest value of 400mSv/hr was limited to a location and was not over a wide 
area.

regards
Parthasarathy




________________________________
From: Howard <howard.long at comcast.net>
To: Jerry Cohen <jjcohen at prodigy.net>; The International Radiation Protection 
(Health Physics) MailingList <radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu>
Cc: The International Radiation Protection (Health Physics) Mailing List 
<radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu>
Sent: Sat, 19 March, 2011 22:40:34
Subject: [ RadSafe ] Hysteria

Not all media promote the state of fear (Below)
Howard Long
Oh, get a grip

I guess panic just sells papers:

Here’s the Daily Mail:

The moment nuclear plant chief WEPT as Japanese finally admit that radiation 
leak is serious enough to kill people

Now, this is not actually much of a surprise, and it goes with the announcement 
that the plant accident was being raised from INES level 4 (not as bad as Three 
Mile Island) to level 5 (as bad as Three Mile Island.)  We’ve had reports for a 
couple of days already that there were local radiation levels between reactor 3 
and 4 of as much as 400 mSv/hour (40 rem/hour).

This is, indeed, enough to kill people: 15 hours at 40 rem/hr is 600 rem, the so 
called “LD 50/30″ dose. That is, if you receive that much radiation, the chances 
are 50-50 that you’ll die within 30 days. (You’ll sometimes see 400 rem called 
the “lethal” dose, but that’s the dose at which 50 percent die without medical 
treatment.)

But it’s also like saying “the truck reached 40 miles an hour, enough to kill 
people.”  It doesn’t mean “peopleare dying”, it means “get out of the way of 
trucks”.

Since this rate was measured only in one small area of the plant, the solution 
is to keep people from spending a long time in that area of the plant — which 
they are doing.  And possibly have a look at whatIAEA said in the post Bryan was 
good enough to do for me while I was busy this morning.  The IAEA said 
particularly:

Clarification

Contrary to several news reports, the IAEA to date has NOT received any 
notification from the Japanese authorities of people sickened by radiation 
contamination.

In the report of 17 March 01:15 UTC, the cases described were of people who were 
reported to have had radioactive contamination detected on them when they were 
monitored.

Get that? “Contrary to several news reports….”

Plus: Daniel Kahl, an American living in Japan, begs the media to stop the 
hysteria.

Posted at 12:27 pm on March 18th, 2011 by 

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