Radiation plume no danger to Arizona

darthfader

This may be of interest to those of us in the southwestern US. In light of the graphc and story from the New York Times -- which shows the flow over the Pacific ocean and over the southwestern US: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/03/16/science/plume-graphic.html?ref=science

This Article discusses the exposure amount:

http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/news/2011/03/17/radiation-plume-no-danger-in-arizona.html?ana=RSS&s=article_search&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+bizj_phoenix+%28Phoenix+Business+Journal%29

Radiation in the plume headed to the Southwest U.S. coast from Japan is not much different than people experience on a cross-country flight, according to state agencies in Arizona keeping watch on the situation.

The Arizona Radiation Regulatory Agency, Division of Emergency Management and Department of Health Services said Thursday that people in Arizona are safe from dangerous radiation. They also warned against taking potassium iodide at this point.

“Between the state and federal agencies monitoring the situation, we are confident that there is no danger to the people today,” said Will Humble, ADHS director. “We are worried that people are taking medication that they don’t need and could create problems for themselves.”

For more: www.azein.gov or email questions to [email protected].

Read more: Radiation plume no danger in Arizona | Phoenix Business Journal

Iron Head

I'm in Yuma. I'm worried about the early 90+ degree heat in March and my damned APS bill. But thanks

villabolo

Darthfader:

“Between the state and federal agencies monitoring the situation, we are confident that there is no danger to the people today,” said Will Humble, ADHS director. “We are worried that people are taking medication that they don’t need and could create problems for themselves.”

Darth, what those articles indicate is that there is no present danger. I agree with that. However, is that likely to be the case if there is a total meltdown?

As for people taking medication prematurely, they should not do that. Only if there is an imminent threat after the meltdown, should they take the medication and for the shortest time allowable.

Villabolo

Iron Head

Why Baba O'Riley...are you stalking me?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2KRpRMSu4g

Satanus

Well now, NOW it's starting to look like damage control, as in, don't mind that glowing cloud w the grey ash falling all around you. It's only equal to 2 xrays. Oh really????

S

Gayle

Thanks,Darth, I've been told my whole life that Jehovah could kill me, Armageddon could kill me, king of the north could kill me,,everything under the sun could kill me,,this disaster, that disaster, this food, that food, this cure that cure, oh my,, I'm old now,,I guess that one is going to do it for me. :) I am not complaining.

villabolo

Satanus:

"Well now, NOW it's starting to look like damage control, as in, don't mind that glowing cloud w the grey ash falling all around you. It's only equal to 2 xrays. Oh really????"

Satanus, "technically" they can be "correct". But that is only if they're comparing the overall strength of the radioactivity between the two per any given moment.. What they don't take into account are two things.

First, the fact that the fallout is going to be breathed in and incorporated into your body. That puts the radioactive particles in immediate contact with your body's cells.

Second, that fallout is going to be effecting you for weeks, months and years; until it's excreted. If it's excreted. A regualar X-ray is only giving you radiation for a couple of seconds. Even without the issue of inhaling the radioactive particles to consider, how long would you like to stand in front of an X-ray machine that is constantly turned on? Hours, days, weeks, months?

Villabolo

beksbks

What about crops, grass eaten by food animals etc? Water sources? Fish?

darthfader

Interesting chart on the doseage of radiation for normal medical procedures in miliseverts.

Naturally-occurring "background" radiation exposure

We are exposed to radiation from natural sources all the time. The average person in the U.S. receives an effective dose of about 3 mSv per year from naturally occurring radioactive materials and cosmic radiation from outer space. These natural "background" doses vary throughout the country.

People living in the plateaus of Colorado or New Mexico receive about 1.5 mSv more per year than those living near sea level. The added dose from cosmic rays during a coast-to-coast round trip flight in a commercial airplane is about 0.03 mSv. Altitude plays a big role, but the largest source of background radiation comes from radon gas in our homes (about 2 mSv per year). Like other sources of background radiation, exposure to radon varies widely from one part of the country to another.

To explain it in simple terms, we can compare the radiation exposure from one chest x-ray as equivalent to the amount of radiation exposure one experiences from our natural surroundings in 10 days.

Following are comparisons of effective radiation dose with background radiation exposure for several radiological procedures described within this website:

For this procedure:

* Your approximate effective radiation dose is:

Comparable to natural background radiation for:

** Additional lifetime risk of fatal cancer from examination:

ABDOMINAL REGION:

Computed Tomography (CT)-Abdomen and Pelvis

15 mSv

5 years

Low

Computed Tomography (CT)-Abdomen and Pelvis, repeated with and without contrast material

30 mSv

10 years

Moderate

Computed Tomography (CT)-Colonography

10 mSv

3 years

Low

Intravenous Pyelogram (IVP)

3 mSv

1 year

Low

Radiography (X-ray)-Lower GI Tract

8 mSv

3 years

Low

Radiography (X-ray)-Upper GI Tract

6 mSv

2 years

Low

BONE:

Radiography (X-ray)-Spine

1.5 mSv

6 months

Very Low

Radiography (X-ray)-Extremity

0.001 mSv

3 hours

Negligible

CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM:

Computed Tomography (CT)-Head

2 mSv

8 months

Very Low

Computed Tomography (CT)-Head, repeated with and without contrast material

4 mSv

16 months

Low

Computed Tomography (CT)-Spine

6 mSv

2 years

Low

CHEST:

Computed Tomography (CT)-Chest

7 mSv

2 years

Low

Computed Tomography (CT)-Chest Low Dose

1.5 mSv

6 months

Very Low

Radiography-Chest

0.1 mSv

10 days

Minimal

DENTAL:

Intraoral X-ray

0.005 mSv

1 day

Negligible

HEART:

Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography (CTA)

16 mSv

5 years

Low

Cardiac CT for Calcium Scoring

3 mSv

1 year

Low

MEN'S IMAGING:

Bone Densitometry (DEXA)

0.001 mSv

3 hours

Negligible

WOMEN'S IMAGING:

Bone Densitometry (DEXA)

0.001 mSv

3 hours

Negligible

Mammography

0.4 mSv

7 weeks

Very Low

Note for pediatric patients: Pediatric patients vary in size. Doses given to pediatric patients will vary significantly from those given to adults.

* The effective doses are typical values for an average-sized adult. The actual dose can vary substantially, depending on a person's size as well as on differences in imaging practices.

** Legend:

Risk Level	Approximate additional risk of fatal cancer for an adult from examination:
Negligible:	less than 1 in 1,000,000
Minimal:	1 in 1,000,000 to 1 in 100,000
Very Low:	1 in 100,000 to 1 in 10,000
Low:	1 in 10,000 to 1 in 1000
Moderate:	1 in 1000 to 1 in 500
Note: These risk levels represent very small additions to the 1 in 5 chance we all have of dying from cancer.

villabolo

Darth Fader:

Naturally-occurring "background" radiation exposure

We are exposed to radiation from natural sources all the time.

Darth, you keep repeating the same mistakes as others.

I gave Satanus an answer right above your post. BACKGROUND RADIATION IS NOT INHALED UNLESS IT IS RADON! Then the dose of Radon that you get is relatively minute when measured in mSv. BUT IT GETS AND STAYS INSIDE OF YOU. That chart you display is completely irrelevant to the issue of internal radiation.

All I can do is repeat what I said three posts back:

"First, the fact that the fallout is going to be breathed in and incorporated into your body. That puts the radioactive particles in immediate contact with your body's cells.

Second, that fallout is going to be effecting you for weeks, months and years; until it's excreted. If it's excreted. A regualar X-ray is only giving you radiation for a couple of seconds. Even without the issue of inhaling the radioactive particles to consider, how long would you like to stand in front of an X-ray machine that is constantly turned on? Hours, days, weeks, months?"

Villabolo

Radiation plume no danger to Arizona

Naturally-occurring "background" radiation exposure

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