[ RadSafe ] Adopting the International System of Units for Radiation Measurements in

[Jason Meade]

"The high costs of conversion are not justified by the benefits,  which seem
limited to academic purity."

If you want to talk about academic purity alone, there's plenty of
justification.  Just Ci/Bq you've got a conversion factor that has an
exponent in the double digits, introducing an element of uncertainty into
the literature that could be eliminated.. When research is done in standard
units but most publications are in SI, how much methodology converts each
use of RAM, how much converts final results only, how much converts various
arms of the studies, etc.?  And then there is the literature review aspects
where you are comparing similar research between standard and SI units
where a certain amount of rounding and conversion factor "noise" takes
place, making those comparisons and introducing additional error when
assembling those data sets, already setting up any new study designs on a
slightly skewed path.  Not to mention that I've seen published papers where
the p values are sop borderline that any of these tiny uncertainties could
push the value one way or the other, destroying that author's SOLE reliance
on a questionable op value as "proof" that their results are "statistically
significant."

I agree the costs will be enormous and the SHORT TERM benefits do not
outweigh the costs, but the longer you put it off, the costlier it will be,
and the more damaging it is to the permanent body of scientific literature.

On Tue, Sep 13, 2016 at 7:38 AM, William Lipton <doctorbill34 at gmail.com>
wrote:

> The high costs of conversion are not justified by the benefits,  which seem
> limited to academic purity.
>
> On Sep 13, 2016 11:11 PM, "Dixon, John E. (CDC/ONDIEH/NCEH)" <gyf7 at cdc.gov
> >
> wrote:
>
> > As CHP, I am comfortable with SI units. But we must remember that the
> > general public is NOT comfortable with the topic of radiation as a whole.
> > Given that, it will be more difficult to relate health risks from
> radiation
> > if we are compelled to use UNITS which "are scary." What sounds more
> > "threatening": 1 Curie or 3.7 e10 Bq's? I am afraid that familiarizing
> the
> > unfamiliar with SI units within the general public realm is a hill we
> have
> > yet to successfully climb. We must also consider the unfamiliarity the
> > general public has with math - or should I say the resistance to think in
> > mathematical terms for the layman.  One tenth of a Seveirt doesn't sound
> so
> > bad until you tell someone it is 10 Rem - now that sounds "hideously
> high."
> >
> > Regards,
> > John
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu [mailto:radsafe-bounces@
> > health.phys.iit.edu] On Behalf Of Cary Renquist
> > Sent: Monday, September 12, 2016 12:46 PM
> > To: The International Radiation Protection (Health Physics) MailingList (
> > radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu) <radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu>
> > Subject: [ RadSafe ] Adopting the International System of Units for
> > Radiation Measurements in the United States
> >
> > Adopting the International System of Units for Radiation Measurements
> > Registration, Washington | Eventbrite
> > https://www.eventbrite.com/e/adopting-the-international-
> > system-of-units-for-radiation-measurements-registration-26954781477
> >
> > U.S. Government agencies with radiation protection responsibilities
> > continue to use conventional units for radiation measurements despite
> > 30-year-old national and international recommendations to use SI (System
> > Internationale) units. The use of conventional units hinders information
> > exchanges and communications between the United States and other
> countries,
> > most of which use SI units, especially during emergencies. For example,
> > U.S. personnel deployed in Japan during the 2011 Fukushima nuclear
> accident
> > encountered difficulties in communicating with Japanese counterparts and
> > the international radiation protection community.
> >
> > The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have asked the National
> > Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to organize a workshop
> to
> > discuss how the adoption of SI units for radiation protection in the
> United
> > States could improve information exchanges and communications. The
> workshop
> > will examine international experiences in transitioning to SI units for
> > radiation protection and discuss possible steps towards adopting the
> > exclusive use of SI units in the United States. Download the current
> agenda
> > here.
> >
> > This event will be webcast.
> >
> >
> > ---
> > Cary Renquist
> > cary.renquist at ezag.com
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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-- 
Thanks,
Jason A Meade, AS, BS, MHSA, RRPT, RT(T)
Senior Radiation Safety Specialist
Virginia Commonwealth University


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