All persons died whose bodies were exposed to 600,000 milliRems of radioactivity. See Table, Next Page. This also was the annual occupational limit for adults from World War II through 1950. It is recommended that lifetime cumulative exposure is not to exceed the age multiplied by 1,000 milliRems. Occupational limit per year for a minor under 18 years of age exposed to radiation.
Potassium is an essential dietary element that is present mostly in the muscles.
Annual exposure due to watching four hours of television every day. A localized dose delivers 10,000,000 milliRems to the thyroid, and about 20,000 milliRems to the rest of the body. A radiation dose to kill a cancerous tumor often sends a radiation beam delivering 6,000,000 milliRems to the cancerous tissue, but the whole body equivalent dose is much less, as in the thyroid case. Exposure of one 70 pound youth in Federal research at the Fernald School by MIT in the 1940s, using trace elements to track iron absorption while eating cereal. The research showed iron supplements should not be taken with meals.