Name: ____________________________
Chemistry 100, Section B
Problem Set 1
Due October 7, 2005
1. Compute your annual exposure to radiation by completing the
following
table.
A. Where you live:
I live in __________________, ___
1. Location: Cosmic radiation at sea
level (26 mrem)..........................................._26_
Exposure due to elevation 1000 feet above sea level (2
mrem)..........____
2000 feet above sea level (5 mrem)..........____
3000 feet above sea level (9 mrem)..........____
4000 feet above sea level (15 mrem)........____
5000 feet above sea level (21 mrem)........____
6000 feet above sea level (29 mrem)........____
7000 feet above sea level (40 mrem)........____
8000 feet above sea level (53 mrem)........____
9000 feet above sea level (70 mrem)........____
Ground (US
Average)......................................................................._26_
Add 7 mrem if you live in stone, brick or cement
house......................____
B. What you eat, drink and breathe:
Food, water and air (US
Average)...................................................._24_
Weapons test fallout (US
Average)...................................................__4_
C. How you live:
1. X-rays, etc.
Number of chest X-rays@10
mrem..................................................................____
Number of lower GI tract
X-rays@500 mrem...................................................____
Number of
"radiopharmaceutical
examinations"@300 mrem...............................____
2. Jet plane travel
1 mrem for each 2500
miles..............................................................................____
3. TV viewing
0.15 mrem for each hour
per
day......................................................................____
D. Exposure to nuclear power plant:
At site boundary@0.2 mrem per hour each
day.....................................................____
One mile away@0.02 mrem per hour each
day......................................................____
Five miles away@0.002 mrem per hour each
day...................................................____
More than 5 miles away ..........insignificant
exposure...............................................__0_
Total..........................................................................................................................____
2. Answer the following questions using standard English,
proper
grammar and puncuation, etc.
- How does your exposure compare to the national
average of 180 mrem?
- What percent of your total exposure is
of natural origin (explain what you considered to be natural)
- What do you think we could, as a nation, do to decrease our
exposure to radiation? Justify your answer with scientifically
sound
reasoning.
This exercise is based on a National Academy of Science Report:
"The Effects on Populations of Exposure to Low Levels of Ionizing
Radiation",
copyright 1980. Adapted from Joesten and Wood, World of
Chemistry,
2nd Edition.