Lalmohan wrote:theo-ji, i haven't seen anything saying anyone got 3-4 sieverts of exposure, can you please point me to the source. (am not doubting, just want to read more)
Lalmohan - The reason you haven't seen anyone got
"3-4 sievert" of exposure is simply that it has not happened. Some (about 20) have gotten above
100 Millisievert None more than 250 mSv. (Limit, Japan has set for emergency)
The reports of 3-4 sievert and "walking dead" has as much credibility as 100000000000 troops in Cashemere.. This information is privi to postors like Sanku and Chaankaya. After all aren't such people, still claim that millions died from TMI, yet nuke-lobby misleads the people and say that number is zero.
(
For scientifically challenged people, millisievert is thousandth of a sievert (Think of this way, height of a person is 1-2 meter, while an ant is 1-2 millimeter)
I know it will be virtually impossible to teach even the most basic physics and math to some, but for others let me put in layman's term what people mean by NTLH theory. And how the risk is accessed in scientific world. Keep reading if interested. Stop here, if not /smile/
In nut shell the number is something like:
25Sv (whole body dose) = 1cancer death (in life time)
And they assume there is no threshold, and radiation, no matter how low, is dangerous (in a linear way as far as cancer probability is concerned)
From this one gets
250 mSv (same is 25 Sv spread over 100 people) ==> 1% (increased risk of cancer)
By all accounts it is serious. One may not worry about about extra 1% from personal perspective ( as normal risk for a cancer(+ bad immune system etc), from other causes, is about 20% over the lifespan ) . (Risk for a Javan in a war is much higher, yet we take that risk) but this translates to 10,000 deaths, in a million. So one does take it seriously.
These kind of numbers for higher doses (say above 100 mSv) is fairly understood (more than 50+ years of research, data etc), for lower radiation doses, most experts I know, do not subscribe to NTLH.
I will stop here, as discussion will become more technical. I have tried to be as accurate as possible, yet keep it simple. There are, of course, many places, where one can get further information.