Re: Russian Criticality accident

[Mike Grissom <mikeg@SLAC.Stanford.EDU>]

Radsafers:

Table 15.1 in "The Health Physics and Radiological
Health Handbook", p. 602, notes that for the 'Acute
Radiation Syndrome', 'Nervous System' effects are
expected 'above 50 Gy'.

In this case, where transient incapacitation seems
to have been indicated, 5,000 rads would be possible.
A better reference, discussing such issues as
transient compared with permanent incapacitation as
a function of whole body dose, would be "Military
Radiobiology" by Jim Conklin and Richard Walker.

In my opinion, the rapid onset of death while
undergoing "heroic" medical intervention procedures
indicates substantially more than 5,000 rad whole body 
dose (possibly greater than 10,000 rad partial
body dose, including the brain).  This assumes
the 42 year old victim was in generally good health
and that no combined injury parameters, such as trauma
from burns/explosive forces/projectiles occurred at the
accident scene.

S.,

MikeG.

At 09:03 AM 6/25/97 -0500, you wrote:
>At 08:25 1997-06-25 -0500, you wrote:
>>
>>Boyd Rose has made the comment that the report of the accident contains
>>some interesting statements. One further one is the reported dose of 600
>>roentgens of neutron radiation. ...


Michael P. Grissom
Asst Dir (ES&H)
SLAC
Phone: (415) 926-2346
Fax:   (415) 926-3030
E-mail: mikeg@slac.stanford.edu