Hey guys,
Last time I talked about uranium in your tap water. Today I am going to talk about the possibilities of contamination of the ground water through the mining of uranium.
Apparently, back in the forties when uranium was in a really high demand, the Navajo Nation held the lands with high uranium. The U.S. government leased these lands and mined them for the said element. Many of the Navajo were employed at these mines and they received higher doses of radiation from inhalation and ingestion of the uranium.
This has lead to kidney failure, higher lung cancer, and bone cancer rates. This has lead to the Navajo being recompensed for the contaminated sites. There has been collaborating between federal agencies and the Navajo nation to clean up these sites. There has been some progress to clean up these sites. In 2007 a bunch of fed departments put in a five year plan to clean them up. In 2013, they implemented another 5 year plan to continue efforts.
Hope that was somewhat interesting. The nuclear industry has much more knowledge about its foot print now than it did back then. Its interesting to see how far we have come and how safe practices are being put into effect to keep events like the one above from happening.
If you would like to read about the safety of the mining plants, look at the following link: http://world-nuclear.org/information-library/safety-and-security/radiation-and-health/occupational-safety-in-uranium-mining.aspx.
http://www3.epa.gov/region9/superfund/navajo-nation/
Have a good one!
The Nuke Cow
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
Uranium in your water
Hey guys,
Today I am going to talk about uranium in your drinking
water. If you live in an area with high concentration of uranium in your soil,
chances are you probably have trace amounts of it in your water. I you do,
relax, a little radiation is good for you, but that’s a past topic.
It would seem that natural radiation from uranium is not
that much a health concern unless you drink it. The alpha particles emitted by
uranium can do really bad things inside your body. Bathing in it should not
affect you at all. The uranium can alos affect your bodies filtering system,
the kidneys.
If you live close enough to a town that you are on a public
water system instead of a well, you have nothing to worry about. The cities are
mandated to test their water for elevated levels of uranium and other
contaminates.
If you are fortunate enough to live away from the vity and
have your own unchlorinated, untested well, then a reverse osmosis system or a
carbon filter that is standard in most homes will work just fine. If you are
now worried, get a test done. Or just invest in a decent filter. It will
probably help your water quality anyway and make you feel all soapy even when
your not.
That’s all for now!!
The Nuke Cow
Sunday, February 21, 2016
Bomb Shelter in all its glory
Hey guys,
Now, from the title you are probably thinking this guy is nuts. A conspiracy theorist that is paranoid and always watching his back. You would not be entirely wrong, but I think I cover it up well in public.
Now, one of my dreams has always been to have a safe room in the middle of my house that leads to an underground fortress. Childish I know, but come on. That is the mother of all pillow forts!!!
So I did some research into what are the best choices for materials, provisions, and different systems that will make the best fall out shelter. Keep in mind, this was not a list put together with any sort of budget in mind. Im sure there are work arounds to minimizing the cost of a project like this.
One, the shelter needs to be buried, then a foundation put on top. this will minimize any radiation from fallout that there might be. From what I have learned so far, the ground itself will be plenty of shielding, but the foundation will give some extra protection if your thinking for the end of the world chaos where its every man for himself.
Two, An appropriate sized blast door. many companies make these with varying thickness of steels. pretty neat. http://www.americanblastdoor.com/blast-door-single-leaf.html, these guys will set you up. This is actually the most fun I have had with a post yet.
Three, filtration systems. You will either need a ton of bottled water, which will take up a ton of space, or a water filtration system. The filtration system is easy. Most things that I have read says a normal reverse osmosis (RO) system will work just fine. Depending upon how many people you plan to house, you might want to consider bigger or smaller systems. You have the same dilemma with air. You can keep a ton of oxygen tanks, or you can invest in a particulate filter. The best on the market are the HEPA filters. Make sure that you get a certified HEPA filter. There are filters made with the same material that are not tested for the efficiencies.
Four, food. this is entirely up to you. The amount that you need is proportional to the amount of people and the time that you think the disaster will take to resolve itself. There are tons of companies out there that create 30 day supply food buckets. And costs range form 50-150 bucks per bucket. I have personally tried the spectra of the buckets. They all taste the same, mediocre. I would suggest lots of dried herbs and flavor enhancers to go along with you food supply. Also pay attention to the shelf life. I have seen ranges from 20-30 years. I am sure someone out there makes some that last longer.
Five, Vitamins. This is crucial depending upon where you live. If you dont have access to citrus you could become vitamin C deficient. This leads to scurvy. Not fun.
Six, medical supplies. Your definitely want a couple really good first aide kits laying around. Accidents happen all the time. In a scenario like the every man for himself, small cuts can lead to big infection and possibly death. Antibiotics have shelf lives, while they dont expire, they lose efficacy.
Seven, electricity. This is essential to run your filtration systems. Generators work really well and can be placed in secure locations with giant underground fuel reserves. Solar panels are probably a no-go for this type of scenerio. They will be prime targets to steal. They will also give away you being there. With fallout, the panels will need to be cleaned regularly for max efficiency. A clean solar panel in a dusty world is a prime give away that some one is keeping them running.
Eight, clothes. If something breaks and you need to go outside of your shelter into the fallout, you need some protective gear. You want to minimize the risk of breathing in the particles, as well as you dont want to bring it back into your shelter when you return. That being said, if you have to go outside without protection, make sure to take iodine pills. This will at least protect your thyroid.
Hope this was interesting!!!
The Nuke Cow
Now, from the title you are probably thinking this guy is nuts. A conspiracy theorist that is paranoid and always watching his back. You would not be entirely wrong, but I think I cover it up well in public.
Now, one of my dreams has always been to have a safe room in the middle of my house that leads to an underground fortress. Childish I know, but come on. That is the mother of all pillow forts!!!
So I did some research into what are the best choices for materials, provisions, and different systems that will make the best fall out shelter. Keep in mind, this was not a list put together with any sort of budget in mind. Im sure there are work arounds to minimizing the cost of a project like this.
One, the shelter needs to be buried, then a foundation put on top. this will minimize any radiation from fallout that there might be. From what I have learned so far, the ground itself will be plenty of shielding, but the foundation will give some extra protection if your thinking for the end of the world chaos where its every man for himself.
Two, An appropriate sized blast door. many companies make these with varying thickness of steels. pretty neat. http://www.americanblastdoor.com/blast-door-single-leaf.html, these guys will set you up. This is actually the most fun I have had with a post yet.
Three, filtration systems. You will either need a ton of bottled water, which will take up a ton of space, or a water filtration system. The filtration system is easy. Most things that I have read says a normal reverse osmosis (RO) system will work just fine. Depending upon how many people you plan to house, you might want to consider bigger or smaller systems. You have the same dilemma with air. You can keep a ton of oxygen tanks, or you can invest in a particulate filter. The best on the market are the HEPA filters. Make sure that you get a certified HEPA filter. There are filters made with the same material that are not tested for the efficiencies.
Four, food. this is entirely up to you. The amount that you need is proportional to the amount of people and the time that you think the disaster will take to resolve itself. There are tons of companies out there that create 30 day supply food buckets. And costs range form 50-150 bucks per bucket. I have personally tried the spectra of the buckets. They all taste the same, mediocre. I would suggest lots of dried herbs and flavor enhancers to go along with you food supply. Also pay attention to the shelf life. I have seen ranges from 20-30 years. I am sure someone out there makes some that last longer.
Five, Vitamins. This is crucial depending upon where you live. If you dont have access to citrus you could become vitamin C deficient. This leads to scurvy. Not fun.
Six, medical supplies. Your definitely want a couple really good first aide kits laying around. Accidents happen all the time. In a scenario like the every man for himself, small cuts can lead to big infection and possibly death. Antibiotics have shelf lives, while they dont expire, they lose efficacy.
Seven, electricity. This is essential to run your filtration systems. Generators work really well and can be placed in secure locations with giant underground fuel reserves. Solar panels are probably a no-go for this type of scenerio. They will be prime targets to steal. They will also give away you being there. With fallout, the panels will need to be cleaned regularly for max efficiency. A clean solar panel in a dusty world is a prime give away that some one is keeping them running.
Eight, clothes. If something breaks and you need to go outside of your shelter into the fallout, you need some protective gear. You want to minimize the risk of breathing in the particles, as well as you dont want to bring it back into your shelter when you return. That being said, if you have to go outside without protection, make sure to take iodine pills. This will at least protect your thyroid.
Hope this was interesting!!!
The Nuke Cow
Saturday, February 20, 2016
Normal Atmospheric dispersion
Hey guys,
Yesterday I talked about fall out, what it does, and what not. Today I will be talking about normal atmospheric dispersion from nuclear power plants.
Ventilation exhaust from most building in a nuclear power plant do not contain any radioactivity. But the air ejector exhaust from building that house radioactive material can contain radioactivity. This is where the problems arrive. In a PWR these exhausts are not radioactive unless there is some type of release into the steam generators. In a PWR these exhausts are highly radioactive.
The way they deal with this gas is to monitor it for one. In a PWR if the levels get too high, they redirect the flow through some filters that will take care of the problem. In a PWR, the process is to let the air flow all around so that it decays before being released. There are also special filters to clean up whatever is left.\
For the radioactive gas that does get through to the atmosphere, it has to be monitored where it goes and the limits, set by the NRC for public dose, has to be shown that it wasnt met. One model used to demonstrate the dispersion of the radioactive gas is the Atmospheric Radionuclide Transport model (ARTM) produced by GRS and Janicke. This will let facilities model where their exhaust is going and who it might affect. This will also allow them to see how high their stacks need to be to dilute the exhaust down to safe levels. A free download is available at the grs website below.
http://www.nucleartourist.com/basics/environ1.htm
http://www.grs.de/en/artm-atmospheric-radionuclide-transport-model
Hope this was intersting!!!!!!
The Nuke Cow
Yesterday I talked about fall out, what it does, and what not. Today I will be talking about normal atmospheric dispersion from nuclear power plants.
Ventilation exhaust from most building in a nuclear power plant do not contain any radioactivity. But the air ejector exhaust from building that house radioactive material can contain radioactivity. This is where the problems arrive. In a PWR these exhausts are not radioactive unless there is some type of release into the steam generators. In a PWR these exhausts are highly radioactive.
The way they deal with this gas is to monitor it for one. In a PWR if the levels get too high, they redirect the flow through some filters that will take care of the problem. In a PWR, the process is to let the air flow all around so that it decays before being released. There are also special filters to clean up whatever is left.\
For the radioactive gas that does get through to the atmosphere, it has to be monitored where it goes and the limits, set by the NRC for public dose, has to be shown that it wasnt met. One model used to demonstrate the dispersion of the radioactive gas is the Atmospheric Radionuclide Transport model (ARTM) produced by GRS and Janicke. This will let facilities model where their exhaust is going and who it might affect. This will also allow them to see how high their stacks need to be to dilute the exhaust down to safe levels. A free download is available at the grs website below.
http://www.nucleartourist.com/basics/environ1.htm
http://www.grs.de/en/artm-atmospheric-radionuclide-transport-model
Hope this was intersting!!!!!!
The Nuke Cow
Thursday, February 18, 2016
Fallout: for those that don't get caught in the blast
Hi guys,
Sorry for the morbid title, but it could be true in the event of a nuclear attack. And to be honest, it might have been better to have been in the blast radius than to be present in the fallout. There are a few different types of nuclear detonations: underground/water, high altitude, air, or surface. The Surface detonation produces the most air born fallout. Fallout is made of dust that becomes radioactive from being irradiated in a high neutron flux. These particles are generally short lived, but a few are not, and that is where the real danger comes from.
Depending upon the weather conditions, the fallout can travel long distances and take up to months to come down and have effects. Once the fallout come down, it can take effect immediately if there is a high dose or ionizing radiation. The affected people would get radiation sickness which entails alot of different symptoms, depending on which parts of the bodies receive the largest dose. Internal bleeding along with organ shutdown are possible.
From past posts, you can see how we obtain risk of cancer from low dose. Its kind of like throwing a dart at a board. But from high doses, there is a direct link to higher cancer risks. So even if someone survives fallout, they more than likely have a much higher risk of cancer.
In order to avoid fallout, build a shelter with state of the art air filtration, water filtration, and lead shielding. Do not lick the lead.
Also, if your cow was lactating at the time of exposure, and the cow survived the irradiation, you might wanna monitor the milk for radionuclides. The milk can contain traces of these, mainly Cs-137 from what research I have done, and can contaminate your insides. Thats not good. Test it before you drink it!!!!!
http://www.atomicarchive.com/Effects/effects17.shtml
http://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/radiation/health-effects/rad-exposure-cancer.html
Hope this was at least a little interesting,
The Nuke Cow
Sorry for the morbid title, but it could be true in the event of a nuclear attack. And to be honest, it might have been better to have been in the blast radius than to be present in the fallout. There are a few different types of nuclear detonations: underground/water, high altitude, air, or surface. The Surface detonation produces the most air born fallout. Fallout is made of dust that becomes radioactive from being irradiated in a high neutron flux. These particles are generally short lived, but a few are not, and that is where the real danger comes from.
Depending upon the weather conditions, the fallout can travel long distances and take up to months to come down and have effects. Once the fallout come down, it can take effect immediately if there is a high dose or ionizing radiation. The affected people would get radiation sickness which entails alot of different symptoms, depending on which parts of the bodies receive the largest dose. Internal bleeding along with organ shutdown are possible.
From past posts, you can see how we obtain risk of cancer from low dose. Its kind of like throwing a dart at a board. But from high doses, there is a direct link to higher cancer risks. So even if someone survives fallout, they more than likely have a much higher risk of cancer.
In order to avoid fallout, build a shelter with state of the art air filtration, water filtration, and lead shielding. Do not lick the lead.
Also, if your cow was lactating at the time of exposure, and the cow survived the irradiation, you might wanna monitor the milk for radionuclides. The milk can contain traces of these, mainly Cs-137 from what research I have done, and can contaminate your insides. Thats not good. Test it before you drink it!!!!!
http://www.atomicarchive.com/Effects/effects17.shtml
http://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/radiation/health-effects/rad-exposure-cancer.html
Hope this was at least a little interesting,
The Nuke Cow
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Radiation Protection Standards
Hi guys,
For this post I will be talking about radiation protection standards. If you have ever thought that the public was at risk of being irradiated, fear not, unless you are conspiracy theorist and think we are all just guinea pigs in some government experiment, I honestly would not put that past most politicians, There are laws in place to keep this from happening.
We shall take nuclear power plants as an example. They are bound by law to follow the regulations set forth by the Nuclear Regulatory Committee (NRC). The NRC tells the plants what protection systems have to be implemented and how well they have to work. They give set dose limits for workers and the public as well. These limits can be found at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/cfr/part020/full-text.html#part020-1301.
My guess is that the way they calculate those exposure limits are probably somewhat like how they calculate the cancer risk from radiation. So Im not going to get into that.
Another agency that sets standards for radiation protection is the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). They published a book that was roughly 280 pages long that explains all the safety standards that they suggest. Trying to read through that is terrible. These documents were produced for some giant companies lawyers to try and read through and pick out whats important.
In the grand scheme of things, I feel the nuclear industry has a bad habit of not explaining things to the public. Whenever I have watched anything on TV concerning the nuclear sector, information is given out by a reporter who doesnt know squat. He/She reads from a manuscript and gives a dose in picorads. Then they try to explain what that means and confuse themselves along with the rest of the public.
I think that these agencies should be mandated to provide information to the public that is not in lawyer speak and that is not buried in some website. The document should highlight what exactly affects the public and the limits that these companies are bound to. This way the public can be a watchdog when inspectors are not always around.
I kinda skipped around alot in this post. Let me know if anything is unclear!
Have a nice day!
The Nuke Cow
For this post I will be talking about radiation protection standards. If you have ever thought that the public was at risk of being irradiated, fear not, unless you are conspiracy theorist and think we are all just guinea pigs in some government experiment, I honestly would not put that past most politicians, There are laws in place to keep this from happening.
We shall take nuclear power plants as an example. They are bound by law to follow the regulations set forth by the Nuclear Regulatory Committee (NRC). The NRC tells the plants what protection systems have to be implemented and how well they have to work. They give set dose limits for workers and the public as well. These limits can be found at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/cfr/part020/full-text.html#part020-1301.
My guess is that the way they calculate those exposure limits are probably somewhat like how they calculate the cancer risk from radiation. So Im not going to get into that.
Another agency that sets standards for radiation protection is the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). They published a book that was roughly 280 pages long that explains all the safety standards that they suggest. Trying to read through that is terrible. These documents were produced for some giant companies lawyers to try and read through and pick out whats important.
In the grand scheme of things, I feel the nuclear industry has a bad habit of not explaining things to the public. Whenever I have watched anything on TV concerning the nuclear sector, information is given out by a reporter who doesnt know squat. He/She reads from a manuscript and gives a dose in picorads. Then they try to explain what that means and confuse themselves along with the rest of the public.
I think that these agencies should be mandated to provide information to the public that is not in lawyer speak and that is not buried in some website. The document should highlight what exactly affects the public and the limits that these companies are bound to. This way the public can be a watchdog when inspectors are not always around.
I kinda skipped around alot in this post. Let me know if anything is unclear!
Have a nice day!
The Nuke Cow
Sunday, February 14, 2016
Radon and Lung Cancer Risk
Hi guys,
So, to continue on the nuclear health effects, we shall talk about radon gas and its dangers.
Here is some background, Radon is a naturally occurring gas that comes from the radioactive decay of Radium which before that came from the radioactive decay of Uranium. So this gas is pretty much everywhere because trace amounts of these elements can be found in most places with varying degrees of concentrations. So there is no escaping this gas. The only thing we can do is make sure we are not breathing in excessive concentrations of it.
So, because Radon is a gas that comes from the earth, there are sometimes problems with it becoming concentrated in basements. The basement being completely closed causes it to build up instead of just venting to the atmosphere. That is why there are so many commercials on Tv about the hazards of this particular gas.
Lets get to how Radon affects you. Radon is an unstable element. Meaning that it undergoes radioactive decay. I does so by emitting an alpha particle. So when you inhale Radon, it can emit this particle and cause changes to your DNA. If this altered DNA can still multiply, and depending upon a whole bunch of other factors, can result in cancer.
According to website 1 listed below, 15000 to 22000 lung cancer deaths are associated with radon. In the grand scheme of things, this is a very small risk. In 2012, there were approximately 157,500 total deaths due to lung cancer according to website 2.
Most systems that I have seen for Radon removal is just a fan that continuously pushes air from the problem room to the outside. The vents have to be above the houses roof that way you are not causing problems for your neighbors.
Its probably a good idea to test your home for radon. Especially if you have a basement.
This is an interesting topic brought up in my Applied radiation protections class.
[1] http://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/substances/radon/radon-fact-sheet
[2] http://www.lung.org/lung-health-and-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/lung-cancer/learn-about-lung-cancer/lung-cancer-fact-sheet.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/
Have a good one!
The Nuke Cow
So, to continue on the nuclear health effects, we shall talk about radon gas and its dangers.
Here is some background, Radon is a naturally occurring gas that comes from the radioactive decay of Radium which before that came from the radioactive decay of Uranium. So this gas is pretty much everywhere because trace amounts of these elements can be found in most places with varying degrees of concentrations. So there is no escaping this gas. The only thing we can do is make sure we are not breathing in excessive concentrations of it.
So, because Radon is a gas that comes from the earth, there are sometimes problems with it becoming concentrated in basements. The basement being completely closed causes it to build up instead of just venting to the atmosphere. That is why there are so many commercials on Tv about the hazards of this particular gas.
Lets get to how Radon affects you. Radon is an unstable element. Meaning that it undergoes radioactive decay. I does so by emitting an alpha particle. So when you inhale Radon, it can emit this particle and cause changes to your DNA. If this altered DNA can still multiply, and depending upon a whole bunch of other factors, can result in cancer.
According to website 1 listed below, 15000 to 22000 lung cancer deaths are associated with radon. In the grand scheme of things, this is a very small risk. In 2012, there were approximately 157,500 total deaths due to lung cancer according to website 2.
Most systems that I have seen for Radon removal is just a fan that continuously pushes air from the problem room to the outside. The vents have to be above the houses roof that way you are not causing problems for your neighbors.
Its probably a good idea to test your home for radon. Especially if you have a basement.
This is an interesting topic brought up in my Applied radiation protections class.
[1] http://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/substances/radon/radon-fact-sheet
[2] http://www.lung.org/lung-health-and-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/lung-cancer/learn-about-lung-cancer/lung-cancer-fact-sheet.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/
Have a good one!
The Nuke Cow
Friday, February 12, 2016
Politics: My Love and Hate
Hi guys,
So, from my last posting experience I have learned that the book I was using is a very difficult read and there are other, better sources to find information.
With that out of the way, i would like to bring up something that is a small passion of mine and that is highly controversial, Politics.
With the primaries under way, I find that I dislike both party establishments. They are both corrupt and talk about how greed is destroying this country. But they both try to implement budgets that better themselves or their family and friends to the detriment of the tax payers. An example of this is tax breaks/government subsidies/bailouts to choose winners and losers in the market place. They also both enact laws that are aimed to help themselves rather than benefit the tax payers as a whole. This can be shown by redistricting laws. Whoever has control re-draws districts to keep one party in control.
I also find that no party is encouraging people to better themselves and actually following through by enacting laws that would help. One side says vote for me and ill give you everything free by taxing everyone more. The other side says they want to open the free market up and then go back on their word.
Now that I am done railing on the establishments, I could go on for a couple pages more, I would like to throw my ideas out there. Please feel free to comment any objections and other possible ideas. I love seeing all sides of the picture.
One, we need to abolish the time and a half for overtime. I have worked on a dairy farm for over 6 years, sometimes working more than 40 hours a week. Agriculture workers are not paid overtime. This is great for me and my boss. I can work 40+ hours a week and make great money. My boss doesnt have to hire another person to do the + hours of work, which is what happens today in most jobs. Most people would not mind working a little extra if asked. I personally know a lot of people that would like to pick up extra shifts so that they could go on a trip or buy something extra for a loved one. But they cant, because the employer, either cant afford to or does not want to, pay the extra overtime that he would not have to pay another worker. The overtime laws are hindering people from making money in the grand scheme of things. I do not believe that people should be made to work tons of hours, but as of right now, both the worker and employer are being hindered by the law.
I have a few more ideas that I will post as time goes on. Please comment with your thoughts and experiences. Like is said before, I love seeing all sides!!
Have a wonderful day!
The Nuke Cow
So, from my last posting experience I have learned that the book I was using is a very difficult read and there are other, better sources to find information.
With that out of the way, i would like to bring up something that is a small passion of mine and that is highly controversial, Politics.
With the primaries under way, I find that I dislike both party establishments. They are both corrupt and talk about how greed is destroying this country. But they both try to implement budgets that better themselves or their family and friends to the detriment of the tax payers. An example of this is tax breaks/government subsidies/bailouts to choose winners and losers in the market place. They also both enact laws that are aimed to help themselves rather than benefit the tax payers as a whole. This can be shown by redistricting laws. Whoever has control re-draws districts to keep one party in control.
I also find that no party is encouraging people to better themselves and actually following through by enacting laws that would help. One side says vote for me and ill give you everything free by taxing everyone more. The other side says they want to open the free market up and then go back on their word.
Now that I am done railing on the establishments, I could go on for a couple pages more, I would like to throw my ideas out there. Please feel free to comment any objections and other possible ideas. I love seeing all sides of the picture.
One, we need to abolish the time and a half for overtime. I have worked on a dairy farm for over 6 years, sometimes working more than 40 hours a week. Agriculture workers are not paid overtime. This is great for me and my boss. I can work 40+ hours a week and make great money. My boss doesnt have to hire another person to do the + hours of work, which is what happens today in most jobs. Most people would not mind working a little extra if asked. I personally know a lot of people that would like to pick up extra shifts so that they could go on a trip or buy something extra for a loved one. But they cant, because the employer, either cant afford to or does not want to, pay the extra overtime that he would not have to pay another worker. The overtime laws are hindering people from making money in the grand scheme of things. I do not believe that people should be made to work tons of hours, but as of right now, both the worker and employer are being hindered by the law.
I have a few more ideas that I will post as time goes on. Please comment with your thoughts and experiences. Like is said before, I love seeing all sides!!
Have a wonderful day!
The Nuke Cow
Thursday, February 11, 2016
Cancer risks from LOW-LET exposure
This is a summary of the reading I have done on section
3.5.3 in Radiological Assessment: Sources and Doses. It is interesting how far we have come in the world of radiation exposure and how we now use it for good things such as cancer treatment.
There is lots of evidence that large of ionizing radiation
is a possible cause of cancer. This happens by the radiation damaging a strand
of DNA, the damage small enough to let the DNA reproduce. Data for cancer risk
has been obtained through the study of many groups of people.
The people that were near Nagasaki and Hiroshima were
exposed to gamma and neutron radiation. These people and their off spring have
been studied throughout the years. Radiologists from the first half of the
century received abnormally high doses due to the limited knowledge of
radiation shielding and the negative effects of large doses. “Radium Dial
Painters” ingested large amounts of radium because they would periodically dab
the paintbrush on their tongue to wet it. The radium was used for luminescence
on gauges and watches. Radiation therapy patients have also been monitored for
effects.
As of now, there is no direct evidence that chronic exposure
to low radiation will lead to an abnormally high risk of cancer. There are models that will relate exposure to
an increase in cancer risk. The two models noted are the Absolute Risk Model
and the Relative Risk Model. These use tables of mortality rates of cancers
based on gender and age, as well as dose received to calculate the increased
risk of cancer. There are also concepts such as the Genetically Significant
Dose, which is described as a “measure of the genetic detriment to a population”.
The somatically significant dose a “measure of biological hazard in relation to
somatic illness, specifically fatal malignancy”. I am going to look into these
a bit more because I find them to be a little unclear in the explanation.
For more information
on these methods, look into the BEIR-V and the UNSCEAR committees. Or you can
just read this section of the book. Hope you found this
interesting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Nuclear Cow
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