Re: High natural background at Ramsar

[Christoph_Hofmeyr/CNS1@cns.co.za]

Andrew, Because my e-mail connection is intermittent at present, I could
have missed a challenge to your quote of Kondo's value for certain
'high-background areas in China'.  The value of 0.5 mSv/yr would seem to
constitute a record low, even if only external radiation would be
considered.  A typo, perhaps?  Typically,  2 - 3 mSv/yr from all sources
(about half from radon) is an accepted average background value in many
countries.  For an impact assessment, it would be necessary to correlate
the number of people affected by a given doserate category.
 Chris Hofmeyr
chofmeyr@cns.co.za,chofmeyr@ilink.nis.za
CNS, PO Box 7106, Centurion 0046, South Africa
fax +27 12 6635513


You wrote:

..in the two charts in figures 2 & 3,  there is a very high dose rate of 48
rem/yr listed for Ramsar or  Ramsari, Iran
Does any Radsafer have Dr. Luckey's book to help us
find out which of these figures is correct?
-------------------------------------------------------------
Ramsari, 7-480 mGy/yr
Kerala, India, 4-13 mGy/yr
parts of Brazil, 2-20 mGy/yr
Araxi-Tapira, Brazil, 35 mGy/yr
(Luckey, 1991, p. 14, referenced in his text)
In addition, Kondo (1993) reported on high background areas in China of
about 0.5 mSv/yr, again referencing other sources for these measurements.
The opinions expressed above are well-reasoned and insightful.  Needless to
say, they are not those of my employer. (with apologies to Michael Feldman)
Andrew Karam, MS, CHP                         (614) 292-1284 (phone)
The Ohio State University                          (614) 292-7002 (fax)
Office of Radiation Safety                         "The mind is not a
vessel to
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Columbus, OH  43212                           lighted." (Plutarch)
(karam.1@osu.edu)