What if you swam in a nuclear storage pool?

[Umbran]

I was told by a chemist friend that what was most dangerous was sources of ionizing radiation, which, if taken in, for example, through ingestion or inhalation, would often be sequestered in the body close to sensitive areas. That suggests that the situation for a diver might be much worse — due to long term exposure to radiation — if radioactive material leached into the water and the water was accidentally ingested

This concern seems to fail to understand exposure.

If sufficient material had leached into the water such that accidental incidental ingestion were a long term concern, that means that the water would be radioactive enough that the immediate exposure due to immersion would be the hazard of concern.

What happens if you drink it only matters if you aren't otherwise exposing yourself to lots of it.

 

[tomBitonti]

This concern seems to fail to understand exposure.

If sufficient material had leached into the water such that accidental incidental ingestion were a long term concern, that means that the water would be radioactive enough that the immediate exposure due to immersion would be the hazard of concern.

What happens if you drink it only matters if you aren't otherwise exposing yourself to lots of it.

My understanding was that (1) cleaning up all contaminants is very hard, and (2) much smaller amounts are harmful.
I’m going from memory on what he said, so I’m probably missing some details. The source was a scientist who studied environmental contamination, whom I thought was very knowledgeable in this subject.
Thanks!
TomB

 

[Umbran]

My understanding was that (1) cleaning up all contaminants is very hard, and (2) much smaller amounts are harmful.
I’m going from memory on what he said, so I’m probably missing some details. The source was a scientist who studied environmental contamination, whom I thought was very knowledgeable in this subject.
Thanks!
TomB

The point here is not that ingesting water with radioactive elements is good for you. It is in remembering the context.

If that water comes out of a tap, and you drink it, that isn't good, no. But concern over incidental ingestion after you've been swimming in it already is kind of worrying about closing the barn door after the horse has already bolted.

It is like, if someone is shot, their first concern should not be lead poisoning.

 

[Clint_L]

Yeah this was my thought. Its not the radiation "per say" but is she has a radioactive source in her body it is possible that gets transferred to the child.

I misremembered the scene so I looked it up. It was even more ludicrous than I had recalled. In the series, one woman catches radiation poisoning from her husband after seeing him the hospital (i.e. after he had been washed and his clothing disposed of), and this in turn kills their unborn child. Radiation poisoning is not contagious. You can hug someone who is dying from it an not worry about getting sick yourself. Just like you can hug your sunburnt kid and not worry about your own skin.

I mean, as long as they aren't still covered in radioactive fallout. Because, yeah, don't get that stuff on you.

I enjoyed the series quite a lot, but all of the radiation poisoning stuff made me face-palm. The way it showed people basically melting over a period of days after radiation exposure, slowly turning into horror film extras, was equally ridiculous.

 

[MGibster]

Just a suggestion, but if @trappedslider slider invited you to their pool party I'd RSVP that you can't make it.

 

[trappedslider]

I misremembered the scene so I looked it up. It was even more ludicrous than I had recalled. In the series, one woman catches radiation poisoning from her husband after seeing him the hospital (i.e. after he had been washed and his clothing disposed of), and this in turn kills their unborn child. Radiation poisoning is not contagious. You can hug someone who is dying from it an not worry about getting sick yourself. Just like you can hug your sunburnt kid and not worry about your own skin.

I mean, as long as they aren't still covered in radioactive fallout. Because, yeah, don't get that stuff on you.

I enjoyed the series quite a lot, but all of the radiation poisoning stuff made me face-palm. The way it showed people basically melting over a period of days after radiation exposure, slowly turning into horror film extras, was equally ridiculous.

so, while it does take artistic liberties, some of it is consistent with the knowledge and belief at the time period.

 

[tomBitonti]

The point here is not that ingesting water with radioactive elements is good for you. It is in remembering the context.

If that water comes out of a tap, and you drink it, that isn't good, no. But concern over incidental ingestion after you've been swimming in it already is kind of worrying about closing the barn door after the horse has already bolted.

It is like, if someone is shot, their first concern should not be lead poisoning.

I was thinking more that water that is minimally radioactive and not immediately harmful may be quite harmful over a longer term due to ingestion. The immediate harm might be quite negligible. Being immersed in water but immediately rinsing it off is one category of exposure. Drinking water, even which is only very slightly radioactive, is a different category.

That is to say, swimming in slightly radioactive water (while avoiding drinking it) may be a total non-issue. Drinking the same water might be very very hazardous.

TomB

 

[Clint_L]

so, while it does take artistic liberties, some of it is consistent with the knowledge and belief at the time period.

I don't follow? Experts in the 1980s knew that radiation poisoning is not contagious, that you couldn't catch it and pass it on to your fetus, and that it didn't cause you to slowly melt over a period of several days. The effects of gamma radiation exposure are very well documented and understood, particularly since Hiroshima and Nagasaki unfortunately provided many thousands of case studies.

Chernobyl made for riveting television, but not highly accurate in terms of science, history, or politics. And that's okay. I still enjoyed it. I found the "artistic liberties" distracting and silly, but I imagine most folks didn't know or care.

 

[GreyLord]

I don't follow? Experts in the 1980s knew that radiation poisoning is not contagious, that you couldn't catch it and pass it on to your fetus, and that it didn't cause you to slowly melt over a period of several days. The effects of gamma radiation exposure are very well documented and understood, particularly since Hiroshima and Nagasaki unfortunately provided many thousands of case studies.

Chernobyl made for riveting television, but not highly accurate in terms of science, history, or politics. And that's okay. I still enjoyed it. I found the "artistic liberties" distracting and silly, but I imagine most folks didn't know or care.

If I remember, radiation poisoning itself is not contagious.

Whether you can GET radiation poisoning from someone else who is suffering from radiation poisoning is a different matter.

It depends on how much radiation is still on the person. If they've been completely scrubbed and none of the radiation substances are on them, sure, you probably will be okay. However, if they still have a bunch of radioactive stuff on them that is causing them to get sick...well...it's possible to have that radiation affect you and even get some on you if you are in contact with them.

Haven't seen the show, so no idea what it says or how it portrays things. Did they shave all his hair off? Scrub off the first and possibly second layers of skin? Was he, himself, radioactive (basically, infused by being so long in the stuff...though at that point in theory they would already be dead...buy hey...who knows).

 

[tomBitonti]

If I remember, radiation poisoning itself is not contagious.

Whether you can GET radiation poisoning from someone else who is suffering from radiation poisoning is a different matter.

It depends on how much radiation is still on the person. If they've been completely scrubbed and none of the radiation substances are on them, sure, you probably will be okay. However, if they still have a bunch of radioactive stuff on them that is causing them to get sick...well...it's possible to have that radiation affect you and even get some on you if you are in contact with them.

Haven't seen the show, so no idea what it says or how it portrays things. Did they shave all his hair off? Scrub off the first and possibly second layers of skin? Was he, himself, radioactive (basically, infused by being so long in the stuff...though at that point in theory they would already be dead...buy hey...who knows).

Maybe a semantic problem here?

The CONDITION of radiation poisoning is not contagious. However --

*) Chromosomal damage may be inherited, depending on what types of cells are damaged.
*) The cause of radiation poisoning may remain on a person who was poisoned. Other persons can be poisoned by proximity to a person already poisoned.

Neither of these fits the meaning of "contagious", however, externally, the appearance might be similar.

The first, obviously, only occurs specifically to new conceptions. The second requires a specific form of poisoning -- a contaminant that will remain toxic and which can be carried around.

I guess there could be a third case:

*) The person may become radioactive.

I don't know if this is possible, or if the person would long survive such a state.

Precise language use matters.

TomB