Re: U-232 release levels

[stabin@esper.com (Mike Stabin)]

It appears to me that the dominant reason that the ALIs and DACs are
lower than for, say U-234, 235, or 238, is that there are 8 daughters for
U-232 which all contribute significantly to the total dose to the major
organs (see ICRP 30, Supplement to Part 1).  The first 4 are alpha
emitters, and so the SEEs are also significantly higher than for some of
the 234, 235, or 238 daughters.  The decay energies, as you note, are
not significantly different, and half life of the parent does not really come
into play too much except in the bone, and even there, the Us is not
significantly lower for 232 than for the others.  So it appears to me that it
is the daughters that are the main issue, as politically incorrect as that
may be to claim.  :)  

Mike Stabin