JBRIII wrote:
Tritium is actually a very weak beta emitter, it can't penetrate your clothing for example, assuming it hit the fibers. The problem is it can exchange with hydrogen in other molecules, i.e., those in your tissues which are bathed in water. So, some could get into your DNA, etc., where damage could be done overtime. I had courses in radio chem and prof talked about the importance of strong an emitter was, form, biological activity, etc., relative go the danger. I don't like this either, but the risk is pretty low. The general rule is storage for 7 half lives before releasing material, but storing all this water, and more to come, for what I believe would be 150 yrs, also has risks, like a one time mass release in another quake.
The only real solution for this and other similar hazards is stop making the stuff.
As a final point, we use much hotter isotopes medically daily. I got iodine for a thyroid test, you could see it in my system with a geigor counter, yet I was allowed to walk around and piss it away, etc. If a research animal, all wastes and the animal would be collected stored, burned or buried in time. Years ago, a team checking out nuclear reactors found a hot spot, it was a waste treatment plant radiating due to all the stuff used medically. Many isotopes are made and used in medicine, testing for infections, cancer, etc. some so hot they can set off every instrument even rooms away, the stories say.
Tritium is actually a very weak beta emitter, it c... (
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The half life of Iodine I-131 is seven days. The amount one is allowed to take without hospitalization is regulated in the U.S. by the state. I had I=131 irradiation for thyroid cancer and was allowed 29.9 millirems in my home state without hospitalization while in a neighboring state the amount was 75 millirems. Yes you do emit some radiation after exposure and I was told not to be close to children for a week after my treatment. Like all radiation, exposure decreases by the square with distance.