4 ms·
I do happen to have radiation detection equipment and can always check my water to see if it's even remotely above background. I know that with doses below 100
by acidburnNSA 4y ago
I do happen to have radiation detection equipment and can always check my water to see if it's even remotely above background. I know that with doses below 100 mSv (nearly 20x avg natural background for a year), there is no measurable risk of long-term cancer increase (not to mention acute radiation sickness, obviously) [1]. I'd happily drink water with trace contamination well below known hazardous levels. In fact, we all do this every day.
In this case, increases of trace contamination have not been found or expected in any drinking water supply from this event.
Dept of Health says [2]:
> Currently, there is no health risk due to this situation. Monitoring wells are being sampled frequently to track the migration of the plume while the plant works to recover the tritiated water. Should the monitoring well results indicate protective action is necessary, it will be taken at that time.
[1] https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2018/01/f46/doe-ionizing-radiation-dose-ranges-jan-2018.pdf https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2018/01/f46/doe-ioni...
[2] https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/environment/air/tritiumleak.html https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/environment/air/t...
- enslavedrobot 4y agoBackground radiation is very different from drinking alpha or beta emitters. Don't drink those if you can help it.
- acidburnNSA 4y agoRadon is the primary component of natural background radiation. It's an alpha emitter. https://www.epa.gov/radiation/radiation-sources-and-doses https://www.epa.gov/radiation/radiation-sources-and-doses https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radon
- flangola7 4y agoAnd radon kills thousands of people a year through lung cancer. Alpha particles are bad inside you