Myths About Radiation

Myth: Radiation poisoning as an effect of the atomic bombs dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima caused many immediate deaths, and many more subsequent deaths from induced cancers.
Facts: Survivors of Nagasaki and Hiroshima have not died in droves from radiation-induced cancers, or for any other reason. There were, indeed, many immediate deaths, from the heat of the blast and from flying debris. There were also later induced cancers in those who were close to the epicenter of the blast. But, those who had low-level exposure to radiation are, in fact, living longer those who had no exposure.

Myth: Presence of radon in homes is correlative with cancer, especially lung cancer. Based on this premise, it has been believed that if you have high radon levels in your home, it is imperative that you take steps to remove it.
Fact: High radon levels in homes is predictive of LOWERED lung cancer (and all other cancer) rates. If you have high radon levels measured in your home, you should know that the odds of your being blessed with good health are significantly increased.

Myth: The accident at Chernobyl killed thousands of people and disabled millions.
Facts: Thirty workers and firefighters at the plant were killed. But a 16-year investigation by the UN and WHO concluded that there were no public radiation deaths or injuries. No significant increase in any illness resulted except for 2000 cases of childhood thyroid cancer, a highly treatable disease from which there have been few if any deaths. But fear of radiation led to unnecessary evacuation of large population groups, causing unemployment, depression, alcoholism and suicides. In the year after the accident, there were 100,000 additional abortions downwind of the accident because of unwarranted fear of bearing a “nuclear mutant.” Deformed “Chernobyl victims” used to raise money for relief were later found to be a scam—unrelated to the accident. Some were from sufficiently far away from Chernobyl that they could not have been affected; others were deformed long before the accident.

Myth: Cancer rates go up as altitude goes up because we are exposed to more cosmic radiation as our elevation increases.
Facts: Just the opposite is true. Live high, live longer: Those who live in areas with high background radiation live longer than those who live in low background radiation areas (high altitude Colorado is best; low altitude southeast U.S. is worse).

Myth: The quantity of nuclear waste is so great and its toxic effect so long-lasting that there is no safe method of disposal.
Facts: Nuclear plants produce less than a millionth of the volume of waste from an equivalent coal-fired plant. Waste can be put into sealed drums and controlled, rather than dumped into the environment. The 50,000 tons of radwaste destined for Yucca Mountain was produced by all 103 U.S. nuclear plants over the past 40 years. This is less than 2 pounds per person served for the whole 40 years. This is small compared to wastes produced by most other industries, or even our homes. The waste volumes associated with construction and operation of solar, wind, and other renewables are larger, on a per-kilowatt-hour basis, than nuclear wastes.

Myth: Radioactive waste stays toxic for thousands of years. Humanity has never faced such a long-term hazard.
Facts: Radioactive waste continually decreases in toxicity, whereas other toxic wastes like mercury, lead, arsenic, selenium, cadmium, chromium, etc. retain full toxicity forever. After 500 years, you could safely eat a pound of radioactive waste. Currently, we bury it 2000 feet underground. The top 2000 feet of U.S. soil contain millions of times more lethal doses of natural poisons than all the nuclear power waste together. We make 10,000 times more lethal doses of chlorine each year, and put it in our drinking water to kill germs.

Myth: Nuclear power is an especially unforgiving technology. A momentary slipup, and catastrophe ensues.
Facts: Just the opposite. Nuclear plants are uniquely robust. They can resist earthquakes, hurricanes, power loss, sabotage and operator errors. Even if the core were to melt, even with containment breached, analyses and tests show that few, if any persons would be seriously injured or killed. Hundreds of nuclear plants worldwide, operating for decades, have confirmed this.

Myth: Marie Curie died of radiation poisoning at a young age.
Fact: Dr. Curie was concentrating radioactive ores in a huge caldron that was so potent that she could literally read at night by the radioactive glow. (Think what she was inhaling.) During WW I, she worked on the wounded brought in freshly from the battlefield, holding the film with her bare hands as x-rays were taken. She got lots of radiation—it wasn’t even measured until detection instruments were invented, developed and deployed. Yet, she still out-lived the normal life-span for that period of time.

Provided by Jane Goldberg http://www.becausepeoplearedying.com/

I Use Radalert100 Geiger Counter

This counter is nice and is made in the USA, is pretty sensitive and comes calibrated, I did pay about $480 for it and it is one of the best ones out there. Here are key features -

The Radalert 100 is a general purpose geiger counter that measures alpha, beta, gamma, and x-radiation. Exciting new features of the Radalert 100 — as an upgraded version of the popular Radalert 50 — include a three-second update and a utility menu that allows you to change the default settings for several operating parameters. Its digital liquid crystal display (LCD) shows the current radiation level in your choice of milliroentgens per hour from .001 to 110 or counts per minute (cpm) from 0 to 350,000. When SI units are selected, the LCD shows readings in microsieverts per hour from .01 to 1100 or counts per second (cps) from 0 to 3,500. This instrument also offers an accumulated total and timer function, up to 9,999,000 counts and 40 hours. A red LED blinks and a beeper chirps with each count (the chirp can be muted). An audible alert sounds when the radiation reaches a user-adjustable level. The Radalert 100 meets CE certification requirements for Europe.

Specifications:

Sensor:
• Halogen-quenched Geiger-Meuller detector (LND712)
• Mica end window density is 1.5-2.0 mg/cm²
• Side wall is 0.012″ #446 stainless steel
• Detects Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and X-radiation

Display: 4-digit liquid crystal display with mode indicators

Calibration: Cesium 137 (gamma)

Sensitivity: 1000 cpm/mR/hr referenced to Cs-137

Accuracy: ±10% typical; ±15% max. (mR/hr & mSv/hr modes)

Alert: User-adjustable alert level to 50 mR/hr & 160,000 CPM

Count light: Red LED flashes with each count

Audio: Beeper chirps for each count (can be muted)

Ports:
• Output: Stereo 3.5 mm jack sends counts to computers, data loggers, other CMOS-compatible devices, and headphones
• Input: Mono 2.5 mm jack provides electronic calibration input

Power: One 9-volt alkaline battery; average battery life is 2160 hours at normal background, 625 hours at 1 mR/hr with beeper off

Size: 150 x 80 x 30 mm (5.9″ x 3.2″ x 1.2″)

Weight: 225 grams (8 oz) including battery

Options: Computer cable and software (IBM PC compatible)

CE Certified

http://www.medcom.com/rad100.htm

New Feature - Radiation Dose Culculator

To understand background radiation and find out what is your natural background radiation levels are for any given year please check out our new radiation dose calculator -

New Feature - Conversion Charts

Just added some conversion charts. Now it is very easy to convert from mRems to Rems, to Svs, Rays to Rads, etc.

https://radiationhormesis.com/charts/

Forms of Radiation

Radiation takes many forms, including both electromagnetic waves and sub-nuclear particles. The electromagnetic spectrum consists of light waves ranging in length from very short (10−16 meters, or 3.937 × 10−15 inches) to very long (108 meters, or 621,400 miles). The product of the velocity of electromagnetic waves and their wavelength is a constant equal to the velocity of light, 3 × 108 meters per second (m/s); therefore, as the length of waves increases, the frequency decreases. Thus, if the waves were 1 meter(3.3 feet) long, the frequency would be 3 × 108 hertz (Hz) or 300,000,000/s (meaning 300,000,000 light waves would pass by each second). The electromagnetic spectrum consists of light waves ranging in length from very short γ (gamma) rays through x rays, ultraviolet (UV) rays, the spectrum of visible light, infrared (IR) rays, and microwaves, to very long radio and television waves.

The shortest electromagnetic waves are classified as γ rays. One of the forms of energy emanating from natural sources of radioactivity here on Earth and also from energy sources in space, γ rays can be thought of as very short x rays. Discovered by the German physicist Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen in 1895, the remarkable penetrating effect of rays and x rays results from their very short wavelength (from about 10−12 to 10−8 meters, or 3.28 × 10−11 to 3.28 × 10−7 feet). The waves are so small that they can pass through many substances with little interaction. X rays pass through skin and organs with little effect but are diffracted somewhat when they pass through denser materials such as bone; the resulting pattern enables technicians to make xray images of bones and of the contents of packages in airport scanners.

The energy of electromagnetic radiation is directly proportional to the frequency. Since both x rays and γ rays have very high frequencies, they carry large amounts of energy, and high intensities of x rays and γ rays can damage many materials (including living tissue). The rays may be focused by special lenses and used to kill cancer cells or organisms that might cause disease or hasten spoilage in food.