Re: ALARA What?

["Michael S Ford" <MFORD@pantex.com>]

Glenn,

I can imagine (somehow) that if you were to be employed by a nuc. materials company in Ramsar, Iran that they might think it rather ridiculous that you'd set a dose limit of 1 rem when an average person in that locale gets 4-5 rem just hanging around the house.

Would you explain that "cumulative threshold" thing for me, please.  Like —- for instance —- why the original Manhattan Project Pu workers with minimum internal Pu doses of 240 rem continue to much better than their non-rad-worker controls?

Also, I believe that extremity exposure limits are base on threshold/deterministic effects or fractions thereof.... they seem to be pretty workable.

Thanks for pulling me into the discussion.... again!  :-)
You're very good at that!
v/r
Michael
TRAB
mford@pantex.com

>>> GlennACarlson@aol.com wrote on 30 Mar 00 11:52:38 PM >>>
And even if hormetic/threshold effects were real, there is no way to assure a 
particular incremental dose didn't result in a cumulative dose exceeding the 
threshold and resulting in increased risk.  As a matter of radiation 
protection policy, hormesis/threshold effects are practically unworkable.  
ALARA lives.

Glenn A. Carlson, P.E.
glennacarlson@aol.com 



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