FW: Cool Fact: Radioactive People

["Karam, Andrew" <Andrew_Karam@URMC.Rochester.edu>]

Today's Cool Fact of the Day.  Not alarmist and the links are good, too.

Andy

(Andrew_Karam@urmc.rochester.edu)

-----Original Message-----
From: The Learning Kingdom [mailto:fact@LearningKingdom.com] 
Sent: Friday, December 17, 1999 3:00 AM
To: Cool Fact list
Subject: Cool Fact: Radioactive People

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  The Learning Kingdom's Cool Fact of the Day for December 17, 1999
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                   Are people normally radioactive?

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Humans are constantly bathed in a sea of nuclear radiation, from many
sources.  Such radiation is measured in units called millirems
(mrem), and typically each human receives about 300-400 mrem per year.

A measurable part of that (30-40 mrem/year) comes from within our own
bodies.  An essential nutrient called potassium always contains a
fraction of radioactive atoms, and these are constantly decaying in
our bodies and releasing nuclear particles.  As a result, people are
among the most radioactive objects in our environment.

The largest source of natural radiation is radon, a radioactive gas
released when elements in rocks decay.  Radon may accumulate near the
ground, and people whose houses have basements may receive a higher
radiation dose as a result.  Other natural sources of radiation
include radioactive rocks and cosmic rays.

Radiation: Facts Versus Fears:
http://www.prioritiesforhealth.com/1102/rad.html

How much radiation is considered safe?  The current legal limits:
http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/tt/1994/jan05/33567.html

More Cool Facts about radiation:
http://www.cool-fact.com/archive/1998/07/28.html
http://www.cool-fact.com/archive/1999/01/21.html
http://www.cool-fact.com/archive/1999/03/23.html
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