Does Jimmy Carter's long life prove some exposure to radiation is OK?

  • Thread starter Thread starter swampwiz
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Life Radiation
Join the discussion
Registration is free. Ask a follow-up in this thread, or start your own.
1 reply · 2K views
swampwiz
Messages
567
Reaction score
83
Former USA President Jimmy Carter seems to be near the end of his 98 years, and was one of the original US Navy nuclear engineers. Over 70 years ago, he led a team that extracted out the world's first melted down core out of a Canadian reactor, himself going 90 seconds into the "dead zone" - and had radioactive urine for 6 months afterwards. It is estimated that he and his team got a dousing about 1000X as much as is allowed under today's protocols. Besides the risk of death, there was a risk that we would be infertile (4 children later, obviously that did not happen).

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/chalk-river-nuclear-accident-1.6293574
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Radiation damage is a probabilistic event so a single case does not constitute proof for changing of standards.
Everyone is exposed to radiation everyday and many survive. Some do not.