Re: A radiation unit for the public

[jowens@mednet.med.miami.edu]

     I have considered using this (or a similar) unit
of dose in basic radiation safety training but thought better of it.
     A chest X-ray is eqivalent to 10 days of background radiation could be seen
as  a "bad-thing" or "excessive" by the members of the public who do not 
understand the difference between "Background Radiation" and "Radiation"
        Maybe I was wrong ??   

______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: A radiation unit for the public
Author:  radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu at SMTPMED
Date:    9/25/97 10:33 AM


Dear Colleagues: Below is the latest "edition" of what I originally (1989) 
called  BERT - Background Equivalent Radiation Dose  for explaining 
radiation to the public. I plan to propose that the Health Physics Society 
consider the following motion for transmission to the Surgeon General: 
"Resolved that all explanations of radiation to the public be given in 
terms of time to acquire the same effective dose from background 
radiation." Some HPS chapters may wish to consider this motion at their 
next meeting.  The NCRP  approved this idea in NCRP Report No. 117 1993 
(page 51). I plan to ask all radiation related societies to pass similar 
resolutions. Your comments and suggestions are requested to 
jrcamero@facstaff.wisc.edu
     
     
A RADIATION UNIT FOR THE PUBLIC  (NOT COPYRIGHTED)
 A radiation unit for the public has been proposed by Professor
Emeritus John
Cameron of the University of Wisconsin-Madison based on natural radiation. 
The unit  is easily understood by the general public and news reporters. 
Radiation is measured in time - how many  hours, days, weeks, months or 
years of natural or background radiation will give you the same effective 
dose as the medical exposure. Compare  "Your mammogram gave you about 100 
mrems of effective dose.: OR "Your mammogram gave you radiation equal to 
about four months of natural radiation."
 A dental bitewing is equal to about one week of natural radiation;
a chest x-ray  to about ten days; and a barium enema x-ray study, to about 
one year. Each medical center should measure their own x-ray equipment 
since the dose varies from one x-ray unit to another. The average amount of 
radiation to the public from diagnostic x-rays each year is equal to about 
seven weeks of background.
 There is no evidence that natural radiation causes cancer. There is
some evidence that natural radiation might actually reduce cancer. The 7 
western states with the most natural radiation have a cancer death rate 
about 15% lower than the average for the country. (1) A study of radon 
levels in homes Vs. the lung cancer death rate in 1700 counties shows that 
the counties with the most radon have the lowest lung cancer death rates. 
Counties with more than 5 pCi/l have 40% lower lung cancer death rates than 
the counties with radon levels below 0.5 pCi/l.(2) It looks like radon in 
the home actually prevents some lung cancers caused by smoking! Smokers may 
wish to consider how to increase their home radon level if it is below 5 
pCi/l.
     
(1) JH Fremlin - Power Production - What are the risks? 2nd ed. Adam Hilger 
1989 p. 58
(2) Health Physics 1995 68:157-174
     
Check out ELECTRONIC MEDICAL PHYSICS WORLD - EMPW - which links to AAPM, 
IOMP etc.at  http://www.medphysics.wisc.edu/~empw and the Bibliography of 
books and journals in Medical Physics and related fields at 
http://www.medphysics.wisc.edu/~cameron.
     
John R. Cameron, 2571 Porter Rd., P.O. Box 405, Lone Rock, WI 53556-0405 
Phones: 608/583-2160;  Fax: 608/583-2269
At the end of September we return to our home at 2678 SW 14th Dr., 
Gainesville, FL 32608   phones : 352/371-9865; Fax 352/371-9866
     
my  e-mail all year is: jrcamero@facstaff.wisc.edu