RE: What to do ? ? ?

["Richard L. Hess" <lists@richardhess.com>]

Jim,



Thanks! It's hard for a layman (with non-specific science background) to 

evaluate these risks.



At 06:34 PM 08/11/2002 -0700, Dukelow, James S Jr wrote:

>Three relevant studies have been

>conducted on populations in and around the Hanford reservation in

>South-central Washington State.



These are good to know!





>One study by ATSDR looked at fetal death, neonatal death, and low birth

>weight in children conceived in eight counties surrounding the Hanford site

>from roughly 1940-52, which includes a time period 1944-47 when something on

>the order of 500,000 curies of I-131 was released to the atmosphere.  While

>the eight counties showed large variations in fetal and neonatal outcomes,

>none were related to radiation exposure.



Were people tracked into the 70s, 80s, and 90s to see if things like 

oligodendroglioma (apparently rare form of brain tumor) were more or less 

prevalent 40-50 years after exposure than in the general population?



>Since you are resident in Southern California, I think you would be

>well-advised to concentrate your worrying and your preparation on

>earthquakes.



I've already done that--I needed something new to worry about <smile>.



Let's see food, water, crowbars, auto gas shutoff, generator, flashlight 

batteries, first aid supplies, radios, flashlights...



>Even tidal waves and trampling by buffalo are likely to be

>greater risks than an airplane into the San Onofre plant or a dirty bomb.

>Pacific Basin tidal waves have killed thousands in the last few years.



I actually worry a bit and have planned if I ever felt shaking when we were 

visiting our favorite haunts in Cambria (near San Simeon) that no questions 

asked, the family would be hearded to the car and we'd be on higher ground 

in five minutes. I am aware of several people being killed in Crescent 

City, California, from a relatively small tsunami as the result of the 

3/27/1964 Alaska earthquake.



>I am just back from a visit to Yellowstone where I watched an old bull bison

>amble through a knot of tourists lining the road and taking pictures.



The stupidity of tourists never ceases to amaze me. We heard stories about 

a bull elephant seal taking a piece out of the rear of a tourist who posed 

sitting on said seal near Cambria a few years back. I say "go get 'em!"



>You didn't mention whether you detoured off I-15 into Yellowstone on your

>way to Waterton/Glacier, but the Yellowstone caldera, with the Yellowstone

>Hot Spot magma chamber a couple of miles down is probably the "hottest" 

>spot in the U.S. with respect to terrestrial radiation dose rate.



That's interesting, I did not notice any significant 15-minute peaks in the 

detection log. I re-evaluated the log using 1-minute peaks and did find 

readings approximately 26µR/hr around the Mammoth Hot Springs area and then 

coming down into Idaho Falls we had a peak for a minute at about 29µR/hr. 

None of these were as sustained...as I said the lip of the Berkeley Pit 

when averaged over 15 minutes gave 24µR/hr (there were peak minutes at 

approx 36µR/hr)...and none of this makes me upset.



As for fun with the Aware, I flew from LA to Chicago the week before 

leaving on the trip and ran the Aware box on the plane (after 10,000 feet) 

and found about 250µR/hr on the LAX-Chicago run and 232µR/hr on the 

Chicago-LAX run! I've been doing 5-10 transcontinental round trip flights a 

year since 1983. I also left it on during the carry-on X-ray and it 

registered at least one 10sec period that averaged out to 20mR/hr.



Cheers,



Richard



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