So I’m sitting in my office and I’m reading my radiation exposure chart.
Anyone have any idea what the lethal doses of DDE, LDE, SDE, WB and CDE are?
DDE = Deep dose equivalent
LDE = Eye dose equivalent
SDE,WB = Shallow Dose Equivalent, Whole Body
CDE = Max probably exposure to major organ block.
Basically what’s the max rem dose I can stand before … umm yeah.
Er… why do you ask?
Here.
Because I’m sitting at my desk and reading the report from my radiation badge testing.
Thanks Q.E.D.
But I was wondering what the LETHAL levels of radiation exposure were in rems.
Today just keeps getting worse and worse.
CRorex’s workplace posts always remind me how mundane (comparatively) my job is.
From this FAQ
Oh and here’s a lengthy, but thorough article on the subject.
Reminds me of a story from the DOT; the guy with the nuclear density gauge took to putting his badge in the box.
with the unit.
The next time he sent the badge in to be checked they called him in and said “Hey !! You’re dead !”
CRorex? You still with us, buddy?
Come on, you can’t leave something like this just hanging here…
Hrrm thanks QED.
The FAQ doesn’t really answer my SPECIFIC question, but it does answer my general question.
IE I’m not going to die.
Yay me.
I just got the report and well… I wasn’t expecting to see a meaningful dose of radiation on the report. And well there was one.
I’m well under the 350 rem dose however.
I’m just a heck of a lot closer to that LD50/30 limit than I want to be.
Errrm…how much is “well under 350 rems”, and what sort of radiation was it? As I understand it, alpha particles don’t penetrate much past the fitst few layers of skin, while gamma rays can easily damage deep tissue. I’m just sorta curious about the kind of environment you work in. I’ll keep researching your specific questions.
Radio isotope exposure to reagents used in biological experiments.
Usually radioactive Iodine and P32
Oh well, it’s only my thyroid gland right? You don’t need that do you?
Funny you should mention that. My sister was recently diagnosed with thyroid cancer, and one of the options is removal of the gland. My subsequent research on the net indicates if you’re going to get cancer (from radiation exposure or any other cause), you’d want thyroid cancer, since it’s one of the easiest to treat.
Anyway, got fingers crossed for ya. 
It’s probably nothing all things considered. I requested my last 2 badges get retested since I don’t actually work with any radiation it’s kinda odd that I’m up to 8 rems total exposure.
But then again I work with people who do and who knows how careful they are in cleaning up spills or isolating their radioactive trash.
Is it possible you left your badge near a radioactive source when you weren’t wearing it? I read a bit in doing reasearch for you about a guy who worked with some sort of gauge that uses radioactivity to make measurements, and he took to putting his badge in the case WITH the device. The results came back: “You’re dead!”.
I work at a nuclear power plant. Dose allowances vary by plant, but they are very strict on your limit. Don’t worry, you are far from the death stage of radiation. Since articles have already been provided for information I won’t elaborate any further.
You’d better be well under 350 rem. If you live in the US, then by law your occupational TEDE has to be under 5 rem!
Code of Federal Regulations, Book 10:
§20.1201 Occupational dose limits for adults.
(a) The licensee shall control the occupational dose to individual adults, except for planned special exposures under §20.1206, to the following dose limits.
(1) An annual limit, which is the more limiting of:
(i) The total effective dose equivalent being equal to 5 rems (0.05 Sv); or
(ii) The sum of the deep-dose equivalent and the committed dose equivalent to any individual organ or tissue other than the lens of eye being equal to 50 rems (0.5 Sv).
(2) The annual limits to the lens of the eye, to the skin, and to the extremities, which are:
(i) An eye dose equivalent of 15 rems (0.15 Sv), and
(ii) A shallow-dose equivalent of 50 rems (0.50 Sv) to the skin or to any extremity.