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Interesting Point...

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By Janice
Kristen Nelson at 20/20 Energy makes a good point, and Dr. Helen Caldicott should take notice as she tours the country with her new book, "Nuclear Power Is Not the Answer."

The Nuclear Energy Institute estimates that a person typically gets about 1 millirem of radiation for every thousand miles of jet travel. By that calculation, Dr. C. will pick up about 4 millirems on her book tour. (Even more if she has a layover someplace and spends time watching TV in the airport bar.)

The American Nuclear Society figures it out by hours in the air. ANS says she'll get about 0.5 millirems per hour in the air. Helen's flights should take at least 13 hours -- please don't keep her in a holding pattern -- so, by ANS's method, she's actually getting about 6.5 millirems.

ANS also adds another .002 millirems every time you go through airport security. Assuming that she's going to be flying in and out of eight or nine major cities, she'll pick up another .016 or so millirems.

...

If only Helen would retire to a nice neighborhood with a nuclear power plant, where her radiation exposure would fall to a much more reasonable .01 millirems per year.


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Comments

Anonymous said…
Dr. Caldicott might stay in the upper floors of some hotels and some of them may use uranium-laden granite in their construction. She may also stay a while in, dare I say it, Denver.

She may avoid the US Capitol Building due to its high (by her standards) radiation doses.
September 26, 2006 at 10:51 AM
Kalnel said…
Absolutely right. The woman is charging through a radiological minefield. I mean, what if she loses a filling while chomping on a tofu canape during some reception? Dental x-rays, heavy metals, maybe more jet travel...the list goes on and on.

She should just park herself next to some plant, where she'll be safe from all those freaky millirems running around.
September 27, 2006 at 4:40 PM
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