[milwguy]

So a worker for TEPCO can stay there for less than an hour and then have to leave the site because they say max exposure is 250 microsieverts. The measurement was taken at the WEST entrance. The wind is blowing out to sea, or west to east. Funny they are not reporting readings from the buildings or very close by. Wonder why? Probably because the readings are in the thousands of microsieverts, not the hundreds

[thackney]

because they say max exposure is 250 microsieverts

You have the units wrong. It is 250 millisieverts or 250,000 microsieverts.

[thackney]

Using the millirem scale, look at the following readings:

4 am 3/16/11 — 75 millirems per hour
4 pm 3/16/11 — 34 millirems per hour
~1 pm 3/17/11 — 2~3 millirem per hour

http://nei.cachefly.net/newsandevents/information-on-the-japanese-earthquake-and-reactors-in-that-region/

[thackney]

I should have given some perspective for that scale.

As context, radiation levels in the aftermath of the Chernobyl accident were 1 millirem per year in the United States and in Canada. By comparison, each person receives the same radiation dose from watching television over a year’s time. Among countries neighboring the site of the Chernobyl accident, Bulgaria received the highest radiation dose at 76 millirem per year, followed by Austria at 68 millirem per year, Greece at 59 millirem per year, and Finland at 45. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s annual public radiation limit is 100 millirem.

http://resources.nei.org/documents/japan/Perspective_on_Radiation_Releases_and_Emergency_Planning_March_17.pdf

[rlmorel]

You need to make sure you have the proper perspective. As a Radiation worker, I was allowed 5,000 mrem per year or 5 rads (or 50 millisieverts) cumulative dose to my total body. I wore dosimeters on my hands (which could receive 50,000 mrem per year) chest and waist. These were measured monthly.

(From the NRC) “Above background levels of radiation exposure, the NRC requires that its licensees limit maximum radiation exposure to individual members of the public to 100 mrem (1mSv) per year, and limit occupational radiation exposure to adults working with radioactive material to 5,000 mrem (50 mSv) per year. NRC regulations and radiation exposure limits are contained in Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 20.”

So, you can see, 292 microsieverts is not really much when you consider you are allowed to get 50,000 microsieverts in a year. I am not saying it is healthy, but it isn’t going to fry you, either.

[Freddd]

Yeah and remember the safe number was 100, til they upped it the other day to 250...