There are scientists who believe that there is a threshold below which the body does not recognize the assault and does not mobilize an immune response. If the lesion is not repaired, the cell can eventually divide and be carcinogenic. Therefore the body can accumulate large amounts of radiation over time without responding. Yankee Rowe reactor, routinely released radioactive waste into the Deerfield River. Citizens were shocked.
Children swim in that river.
Agricultural land is adjacent to it. In drought, farmers pump water from the river to irrigate their crops. The river is used for white-water rafting. Spit and spume from the rapids are dispersed into the air. Due to faulty fuel rods, over 20,000 curies of tritium, a dangerous enviro-toxin, were released during the 1960's and1970's.