Kagrok t1_iszitc9 wrote
Reply to comment by Yanlex in Missouri school to close after radioactive waste report by KCPanther
>Uhh... what exactly is the "expected amount" of radioactive material that is found at an elementary playground?
Background radiation is everywhere. The US averages about 3mSv/yr
Yanlex t1_iszj2hs wrote
Yes, but they are talking about radioactive materials being present: lead-210, polonium, and radium. The 22x amount specifically for the lead-210, not radiation level in general.
zer1223 t1_iszkz99 wrote
There's a tiny bit of that stuff everywhere, yes. And I mean really really tiny
kapootaPottay t1_it0nunu wrote
in your runninh microwave, but not in your popcorn.
Yanlex t1_iszmnjo wrote
No, there is not radioactive lead and polonium everywhere.
razorirr t1_iszzhz5 wrote
Yeah there is for lead 210. Its a naturally occuring trace element in soil.
Dig up the ground on your property, send it for analysis, and they will find some amount of it. In the vast majority of places this amount will be so small, it wont matter.
Same goes for polonium 210.
The numbers are tiny, but they are not 0
DiscountFoodStuffs t1_it05rse wrote
Lol what? Google: Polonium-210 and lead-210 in the terrestrial environment: a historical review or Occurrence and Geochemistry of Lead-210 and Polonium-210 Radionuclides in Public-Drinking-Water Supplies from Principal Aquifers of the United States
bretto2004 t1_iszwjhm wrote
Are you stating a horrible fact, or genuinely sleep better at night thinking that only "tiny" amounts somehow don't cause cancer?
Mend1cant t1_it04uyq wrote
I mean, tiny amounts don’t necessarily cause cancer. It really depends on how tiny it is. Radiation effects aren’t a black and white thing at low levels. Airline pilots are exposed to radiation at a higher level than most people working next to nuclear reactors just from background.
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