BBC analogies

["Stabin, Michael" <michael.g.stabin@vanderbilt.edu>]

This showed up in a technical report I was reading. No reference was

given. I just thought it was interesting.



The British Broadcasting Company (BBC) has provided an illustrative

boxing analogy to contrast what is intended by the three international

radiation measures.  It depicts, for the public, the qualitative

differences between Bq, Gy and Sv as:



Bq: " a measure of how many punches are thrown without regard to whether

they are roundhouses, hooks, jabs, or even if they connect at all."



Gy: "a unit that measures whether the punch is a strong uppercut or just

a little jab. However, the gray wouldn't show the cumulative effect of

something like 100 jabs to the exact same spot on the cheekbone versus

one hard punch to the solar plexus"



Sv: "useful in determining the likelihood that (the boxer) might suffer

some long-term damage as a result of this pummeling." "In short, a Sv is

the most useful but complicated and subjective unit for measuring

radiation effects on people."





Mike





Michael G. Stabin, PhD, CHP

Assistant Professor of Radiology and Radiological Sciences 

Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences 

Vanderbilt University 

1161 21st Avenue South

Nashville, TN 37232-2675 

Phone (615) 343-0068

Fax   (615) 322-3764

Pager (615) 835-5153

e-mail     michael.g.stabin@vanderbilt.edu 

internet   www.doseinfo-radar.com



 

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