5 ms·
>Radioactivity in the contaminated soil has been measured at 8,900 rad per hour. Ah, Gell-Mann amnesia, how I forget thee. The rad is a unit of radiation expo
by scythe 3y ago
>Radioactivity in the contaminated soil has been measured at 8,900 rad per hour.
Ah, Gell-Mann amnesia, how I forget thee.
The rad is a unit of radiation exposure, or "dose"; it measures how much radiation impacted a target (such as you). The appropriate way to characterize radiation in soil would be curies (properly terabecquerels, but we still use curies because of course we do) per kilogram. This is a material property, while the radiation "dose" is a function of distance (and angular position -- a "geometry" factor).
However, it does correctly correspond to the stated risk to personnel. 8900 rad per hour would indeed deliver a lethal dose of radiation within a few minutes.
- dkbrk 3y agoThis isn't that egregious. I mean, yes, you're technically correct, but it's easy to mentally translate "radioactivity in the contaminated soil..." to "the radioactivity in the contaminated soil is such that it would deliver 8,900 rad/hour to a worker standing in its vicinity" (or something along those lines). It's entirely understandable that the reporters didn't go through whatever awkward and pedantic phrasing they technically should have. And while Ci is technically the right measurement for "amount of radioactivity", that's not a measurement that's useful for general consumption. Giving the expected dose and dimensions of the contaminated soil is vastly more effective at communicating the severity of the contamination.
- ekianjo 3y ago> it's entirely understandable that the reporters It's entirely possible that the reporters dont know shit about radioactivity too