<font color=blue>M + X = 2C
2GHz = <0.1% of bond-breaking energy [Moulder]
10 rem = no cellular, molecular, organism or population effects [Belanger]
I don't see how there can be no 'molecular' effects with 10 rem. There must also be other molecular, organism and population effects at 10 rem.
physics.isu.edu
That link gives 360 mrem as being the total background and artificial radiation per adult per year.
We know because there are mutations and evolution, all day, every day, that that the background level of radiation is enough to make DNA chains busted and rejoined and grown as long as a frog and human double helix.
Nature has filtered out the petatrillions of mutations which didn't help us work a computer or go surfing, so we are left with those good ones. Unpleasant for those hordes of demised souls but I guess it's tough out there in the mutant world. Nature in all it's mutational glory has produced you, dear Reader, and me. For those inclined to think that their spouse is lacking in some genetic advantages, it's timely to remind you that you are as good as your spouse could get!
So we know that 360 mrem does the doings. But you say that 10 rem does nothing. Therein lies my first problem.
Can you explain that gap?
Okay, here is the explanation:
< Rem (roentgen equivalent man)
The rem is a unit used to derive a quantity called equivalent dose. This relates the absorbed dose in human tissue to the effective biological damage of the radiation. Not all radiation has the same biological effect, even for the same amount of absorbed dose. Equivalent dose is often expressed in terms of thousandths of a rem, or mrem. To determine equivalent dose (rem), you multiply absorbed dose (rad) by a quality factor (Q) that is unique to the type of incident radiation.>
Hang on! That doesn't explain it at all. A rem is a rem. We need to mess with the rad using the quality factor to get rem or mrem. Sort of like Einstein's gravitational constant.
So, inserting a quality factor [Q] in the equation we get
MQ + X = 2C
That should do it.
Damn. No it doesn't. Here is a rad
<Rad (radiation absorbed dose)
The rad is a unit used to measure a quantity called absorbed dose. This relates to the amount of energy actually absorbed in some material, and is used for any type of radiation and any material. One rad is defined as the absorption of 100 ergs per gram of material. The unit rad can be used for any type of radiation, but it does not't describe the biological effects of the different radiations. >
Just a boring energy measure. What they are acknowledging is that to kick an electron out of circulation, it requires a certain energy level to move up a shell or ionize. If it doesn't get that energy, the wave won't be absorbed.
If the M and X wave functions harmonize at the electron wave function, then if the combination exceeds the ionizing energy for that electron, then bingo, ionization and C [cancer for those who forgot]. If they don't reach the quantum energy required by the electron, then they just move on through and don't absorb at that electron. They would have to carry on looking for a weaker bond and less energy requirement.
The quality factor is required to convert rads to rems because, for example, a microwave signal will not absorb into the electrons, even with watts of dose, so there won't be ionizing until thermal molecular cracking is caused.
However, in the M + X case, the M does become a rem-type dose because of superposition [or harmony] of wave functions for some statistically significant number of M photons.
What we need is the quality factor for M + X radiation.
....contd |
