Japan nuclear body says radioactive water at Fukushima an 'emergency'

Re:Japan nuclear body says radioactive water at Fukushima an... by jlgreco on Monday August 05, 2013 @01:42PM (#6161553)

> its decay is via a weak beta particle emission, about the only way it could hurt you is if you ingested a lot of it

Well, it is water contamination they're talking about. People have the tendency to ingest large amounts of water.

Of course, as you say, knowing the concentration is vital to understanding the risk posed. You could drink gallons of water laced with a gamma emitter if the concentration were low enough (well, not gallons. You'd get water intoxication ;).

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Japan nuclear body says radioactive water at Fukushima an... by mpyne on Monday August 05, 2013 @02:11PM (#6161759)

Well I don't think people ingest large amounts of seawater. :)

Perhaps fish and other seafood (assuming that the tritium concentrates in the seawater around Japan and doesn't get dispered into the wider Pacific). But then the tritium would be mostly "fixed" within the flesh of the fish and end up being mostly self-shielding. Perhaps the ATP w/ tritium and similar products get carried into cells but by that point we're talking about nothing worse than the day-to-day problems of life under the sun, eating bananas, breathing the sweet sweet scent of brick-induced radon, etc.

[ Parent | on HN ]