RE: How much plutonium?????

[Bernard L Cohen <blc+@pitt.edu>]

On Mon, 8 May 2000, Heinmiller, Bruce wrote:

> Bernie, with regard to 20% of 15 000 gamma rays from within, this would be
> 3000, but the only significant (in terms of activity) gamma-ray emitter in
> the body is K-40.  The average K-40 activity is nominally 3000 Bq, but the
> gamma-ray yield is only 10.7%.

	--My mis-statement.
I started from knowing that the body is struck by 15,000 gamma rays per
second, and 20% of the total dose is from internal emitters. What I missed
is that for internal emitters (but not for external sources), beta decays
contribute as much dose as gammas. My statement should have been that
there are about 3000 radioactive decays per second inside the body.

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