SI Units

[Kim Merritt <merritt9@llnl.gov>]

My problem with the new units is not so much one of science as it is of
practicality.  When you look at the fractions of our current units that we
typically deal with, mrem and micro to milli-Ci usually, we have units that
are really much smaller than they need be for standard use.  The SI units
have "corrected" that by making the unit for dose even more at a
disproportion to what we typically need.  As for the activity unit it as
gone to the other extreme and made it way too small.  So rather than
talking about milliCi and millirem to the public we are now onto the picoSv
and MegaBq, metric denominations that they will probably not have heard of.
Not the mention the fact that if you mention to J.Q Public that you just
accidentally sent a MegaBq of tritium up the stack but it's not a problem,
he's going to freak out because a "mega" of anything is a lot, isn't it?

Not to mention the fact that I can't think in those units.

BTW, even as a lowly tech I knew that 1 rad is 100 erg/g.


| | | |    Kim Merritt, RRPT
| | | |__  Physics Safety Support Officer
| | \___/  Lawrence Livermore National Labs
| \___/    merritt9@llnl.gov
\___/      Voice: (925)423-9668   Fax: (925)422-7160
	   "When the only tool you have is a hammer,
	   every problem begins to resemble a nail."
	   -Abraham Maslow
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