RE: JAPANESE CRITICALITY

["Heinmiller, Bruce" <heinmillerb@aecl.ca>]

> From what I've seen, no doses have yet been specified.  In general, there
> are four distinct parts to the specification of a measured or estimated
> quantity:
> 1.  the physical quantity being reported
> 2.  a number
> 3.  the units
> 4.  the uncertainty
> Just as the second of these is incomplete without specification of the
> third, so also is the third incomplete without specification of the first,
> and so far I have not seen any specification of the quantity being
> reported.  Also, the units that have been widely quoted (Sv) are not units
> of the quantities of interest for acute exposures.  International
> intercomparisons of criticality accident dosimetry systems have used two
> dose quantities -- the neutron absorbed dose to "element-57" of a
> specified cylindrical phantom, and the photon absorbed dose to element-57.
> Element-57 is the outermost mid-line section facing the source, and would
> usually represent the section receiving the maximum dose.  Because soft
> tissue strongly attenuates neutrons, the absorbed dose to internal organs
> can be much less than that near the surface.  A so-called whole-body
> absorbed dose is elusive for these exposures.
> 
> Bruce Heinmiller CHP
> heinmillerb@aecl.ca
> 
> 	----------
> 	From: 	jack bell[SMTP:bellstar@erols.com]
> 	Reply To: 	radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu
> 	Sent: 	Sunday, November 14, 1999 12:38 AM
> 	To: 	Multiple recipients of list
> 	Subject: 	JAPANESE CRITICALITY
> 
> 	Hello All,
> 
> 	Forgive me if I haven't been paying attention, but has there been
> any
> 	new developments re determining doses to the three injured workers?
> I'm
> 	not an expert in this area, but from the injured workers' symptoms
> 	described on RADSAFE it appears to me that the doses quoted on the
> 	"Updates" are probably too high.  Perhaps the medical support being
> 	provided is mitigating the health effects.
> 
> 	Jack Bell, bellstar@erols.com
> 
> 	
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