[ RadSafe ] Concerning Rizzini's claim of one ug U-238

[William Lipton]

Keep in mind that the critical toxicity for U-238 is to the kidneys, NOT
from radiation.  Being retired, I don't have access to ICRP30, or later
versions, but I know they list the mass limit for U-238.

Bill Lipton



On Mon, Oct 28, 2013 at 3:14 AM, Otto G. Raabe <ograabe at ucdavis.edu> wrote:

> Rizzini has been quoted as saying that one microgram of U-238 can kill a
> person. An article from March 31, 2011, Rizzini once again claims that 1
> microgram of uranium is enough to kill a person:
>
> PLEASE CHECK MY MATH: According to ICRP-2 (page 81) a human can have a
> body burden of U-238 of 0.5 microcuries without lifetime risk.
> That is 0.5 microcuries times 3.7 x 109 Bq/uCi = 1.9 x 109 Bq. One
> microgram of U-238 equals 0.012 Bq.
>
> Hence, according to ICRP-2 a human could have an internal burden of about
> ten grams without significant radiation risk.
>
> Am I missing something here? Please check my math.
>
> Otto
>
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> Prof. Otto G. Raabe, Ph.D., CHP
> Center for Health & the Environment
> University of California
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