From: constant@gn.ecn.purdue.edu (Tino)
Subject: How about some numbers, Dave???
Organization: Purdue University Engineering Computer Network
Date: Thu, 31 Dec 92 04:27:52 GMT

I'm sorry you had to post megabytes of shit, Dave, without telling anyone
the MAGNITUDE of dose from weapons fallout and the nuclear power cycle.
Telling me that my kids are going to be retarded and have one leg longer
than the other won't hack it.

Average annual individual doses in mrems from natural and man-made         
radiation sources:

Source                   Exposed Group    Body Portion Exposed    Indiv. Dose
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Natural Radiation:
  External sources:
    Cosmic Rays          Total population      whole body              28
    Terrestial gammas    Total population      whole body              26
    Radon and daughters  Total population      bronchial epithelium  ~150
  Internal sources:
    K-40                 Total population      gonads                  19
                                               bone marrow             15
    Heavy elements       Total population      gonads                   8
                                               bone marrow              8.5
    C-14                 Total population      gonads                   0.7
                                               bone marrow              0.7
    Rb-87                Total population      gonads                   0.3
                                               bone marrow              0.6

Man-made Radiation:
  Medical x-rays         Adult patients        bone marrow            103
                         Medical personnel     whole body             300-350
  Dental x-rays          Adult patients        bone marrow              3
                         Dental personnel      whole body              50-125
  Radiopharmaceuticals   Patients              bone marrow            300
                         Medical personnel     whole body             260-350
  Weapons fallout        Total population      whole body               4
  Nuclear power cycle    Population<10 miles   whole body               1
                         Workers               whole body             200-400
  Building materials    Brick,masonry dwellers whole body               7
  Air Travel             Passengers            whole body               3
                         Crew                  whole body             160
  Television             Viewers               gonads                   0.2-1.5
  Tobacco                Smokers (1.5 packs/d) bronchial epithelium  8000

Taken from: National Academy of Sciences, "The Effects on Populations of
Exposure to Low Levels of Ionizing Radiation"; IAEA, "Nuclear Power, The
Environment, and Man"; National Council on Radiation Protection and 
Measurements, "Natural Background Radiation in the United States"; U.S. EPA,
"Radiological Quality of the Environment of the United States"

These numbers are several years old, and the doses to radiation and medical
workers may have dropped from these levels.


Tino
-- 
     "Here are the young men, the weight on their shoulders..." - J.D.
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             Purdue University School of Nuclear Engineering
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