Can radiation be good for you?!

We've all heard so much about the dangers of radiation. In fact, some people have made a career out of preventing the building of nuclear power plants and causing the decommissioning of those already built. The media is full of stories about how dangerous even the smallest amount of radiation can be to our health. They have us worrying about dental X-rays. The mere mention of Chernobyl or Three Mile Island evokes images of widespread death and destruction. The Hanford nuclear site in Washington State is struggling to put in place containment that will satisfy the environmentalists.

But what if this isn't the whole story? What if parts of it have been exaggerated, misrepresented, or misunderstood? The truth is that the death toll from Chernobyl (the worst nuclear accident ever) is around 50, according to an extensive UN study. (No, I'm not missing a few zeroes!) No one died or even got sick from the radiation emitted at Three Mile Island. Long-lived radio-isotopes such as Plutonium, those that remain radioactive for a long time, are generally presented as being extremely dangerous. In fact, it is those with a short half-life that are a much more significant threat, since they emit radiation at a much greater rate.

And even more amazing, there is evidence that small doses of radiation can actually be good for you! Among other interesting facts, people living in the Colorado Rockies, where natural uranium creates higher background radiation, have lower cancer rates than those living in the Gulf States, where background radiation is lower than average. A study showed that people living in houses with small to moderate amounts of radon had lower lung cancer rates than those in houses with little to no radon. This effect is called hormesis.

Intrigued? Read more about it:

John Stossel's report on Radiation (an exception to the usual media message!)
Biological Effects of Low-Level Exposure Website (click on Newsletters link)

Book:
The Politically Incorrect Guide to Science has a chapter about this.

Enjoy!

Today is the summer solstice

An interesting website on an Equatorial Sundial!



(Cross posting with Ana Braga-Henebry's Journal)

Can Concrete Float?

You bet it can. As a matter of fact, the American Society of Civil Engineers has been sponsoring an annual concrete canoe competition for almost 20 years.

The race didn't originate in the U.S. There are a number of races around the world, but the Netherlands have had an annual race since 1972!

More here: http://concretecanoe.org/