Re: Your expert perspective...

["Ron L. Kathren" <rkathren@beta.tricity.wsu.edu>]

The SI is a rational system of units which allows the expression of all 
quantities (ie dose) in terms of the fundamental units of length, mass 
and time.  One basis is to make everything a simple multiple; hence the 
unit for the quantity activity is the Bq (in units of reciprocal seconds) 
rather than the curie which is the rather odd 3.7 x 10E10 per sec.  Your 
biology instructor needs instruction in physics -- specifically in 
quantitites and units.

Ron Kathren

On Thu, 28 Sep 1995 Tom_Fox@ehs.ucsd.edu wrote:

>           Good day radsafers
>           
>           An associate of mine is taking a general biology class at a 
>           local community college. The instructor has an anti nuke 
>           agenda. She has given the class an assignment asking the 
>           class to answer particular questions concerning the nuclear 
>           power industry. One question suggests that the nuclear power 
>           industry started to replace REM with the SI unit Sieverts 
>           for dose equivalent reporting. This instructor is convinced 
>           that this was done because the sv equivalent for rem would 
>           appear to be a smaller number, and would not be such a shock 
>           when reported to the public. Rather than reporting 100 rem, 
>           the industry would fool the world by reporting 1 sv. This 
>           change, as the instructor points out, was done after the 
>           Chernobyl accident. 
>           
>           Would anyone care to shed some light on this assumption? I'm 
>           sure one rational shotgun blast will blow her theory away. 
>           Sorry if it raised your blood pressure. Thanks in advance. I 
>           can't imagine anyone being further off base.
>           
>           T.Fox
>           Sr. HP Tech
>           Office of EH&S
>           University of California, San Diego
>           tom_fox@ehs.ucsd.edu
>           
>