RE: Can Somebody Explain this to me . . . .

["Carl Speer" <rtrs@cox.net>]

This thread reminds me of a question I had on a test during my nuclear

studies . . . How long would it take for 1 Curie of DU to kill you if it

was laid directly on your chest?

 

 

Answer:  Instantly.  

 

 

The mass would be over 3000 Kg due to the low specific activity (3.3E-7

Ci/g).

 

 

I think Barbara is correct in that there is not any quantity of DU that

could cause (acute) radiation sickness.  I also think of the high dose

the lungs of a heavy smoker receives from Po-210 alpha particles . As I

recall it can be as high as 30 rads per year.  These heavy smokers do

not get acute radiation sickness and they receive more radiation than

any conceivable DU dust exposed person.  Wouldn't it be good ALARA

practice to make cigarette manufactures store their tobacco for 2 or 3

years to allow most of the Po-210 to decay before its sale? Or is most

of the Po-210 supported by plant Ra uptake.

 

Food* for thought.

 

*Food also contains Uranium (2 ug/day) (Eisenbud 1987)

 

No disclaimer required, I am self-employed!

 

Carl Speer

Real-Time Radiological Services, Inc.

2721 Losee Rd, Suite E

North Las Vegas, NV 89030

702.639.0066

www.RealtimeRad.com

RTRS@cox.net

 



-----Original Message-----

From: owner-radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu

[mailto:owner-radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu] On Behalf Of

BLHamrick@AOL.COM

Sent: Sunday, April 11, 2004 7:16 PM

To: LNMolino@AOL.COM; radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu

Subject: Re: Can Somebody Explain this to me . . . .





In a message dated 4/11/2004 2:36:25 PM Pacific Standard Time,

LNMolino@AOL.COM writes:



bottom line is even if you have exposure to DU via inhalation post a DU

round in use you will not develop a true radiation sickness, correct?



That is correct.  If by "true radiation sickness," you mean that

sickness associated with a high dose of radiation in a very short time,

which is what professional health physicists would generally mean by

"radiation sickness," and which sickness is reasonably well-defined and

diagnosable.  Exposure to DU, via routine use of DU munitions is not

really a viable means of inducing true radiation sickness under any

scenario.

 

Barbara L. Hamrick, CHP