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For context, the 0.1 rem yearly dose to the patient is about 1/6th of the average background dose we all get every year. This Pu-238 is the same stuff that's powering the Voyager probes and a few Mars rovers. Note that it's not Pu-239, which is fissile nuclear fuel for chain reactions (power plants, bombs, etc.)
Yeah but their spouse :-) 75x larger dose.
> Dose rates at the surface of the pacemaker are approximately 5 to 15 mrem per hour from the emitted gamma rays and neutrons. Where are these gamma rays and neutrons coming from? The decay chain for Pu-238 is via alpha emission (Pu-238 -> U-234 -> Th-230 -> ...) which won't penetrate the casing.
For context, the 0.1 rem yearly dose to the patient is about 1/6th of the average background dose we all get every year. This Pu-238 is the same stuff that's powering the Voyager probes and a few Mars rovers. Note that it's not Pu-239, which is fissile nuclear fuel for chain reactions (power plants, bombs, etc.)
> Dose rates at the surface of the pacemaker are approximately 5 to 15 mrem per hour from the emitted gamma rays and neutrons. Where are these gamma rays and neutrons coming from? The decay chain for Pu-238 is via alpha emission (Pu-238 -> U-234 -> Th-230 -> ...) which won't penetrate the casing.
For context, the 0.1 rem yearly dose to the patient is about 1/6th of the average background dose we all get every year. This Pu-238 is the same stuff that's powering the Voyager probes and a few Mars rovers. Note that it's not Pu-239, which is fissile nuclear fuel for chain reactions (power plants, bombs, etc.)
> For context, the 0.1 rem yearly dose to the patient is about 1/6th of the average background dose we all get every year. Wouldn't you be more concerned about dose rates in tissues near the device though, rather than whole body dose? At the surface of the pacemaker it would be about 90 rem / year.
> Dose rates at the surface of the pacemaker are approximately 5 to 15 mrem per hour from the emitted gamma rays and neutrons. Where are these gamma rays and neutrons coming from? The decay chain for Pu-238 is via alpha emission (Pu-238 -> U-234 -> Th-230 -> ...) which won't penetrate the casing.
For context, the 0.1 rem yearly dose to the patient is about 1/6th of the average background dose we all get every year. This Pu-238 is the same stuff that's powering the Voyager probes and a few Mars rovers. Note that it's not Pu-239, which is fissile nuclear fuel for chain reactions (power plants, bombs, etc.)
> For context, the 0.1 rem yearly dose to the patient is about 1/6th of the average background dose we all get every year. Wouldn't you be more concerned about dose rates in tissues near the device though, rather than whole body dose? At the surface of the pacemaker it would be about 90 rem / year.
For context, the 0.1 rem yearly dose to the patient is about 1/6th of the average background dose we all get every year. This Pu-238 is the same stuff that's powering the Voyager probes and a few Mars rovers. Note that it's not Pu-239, which is fissile nuclear fuel for chain reactions (power plants, bombs, etc.)
Or approximately 100 bananas, for scale.
For context, the 0.1 rem yearly dose to the patient is about 1/6th of the average background dose we all get every year. This Pu-238 is the same stuff that's powering the Voyager probes and a few Mars rovers. Note that it's not Pu-239, which is fissile nuclear fuel for chain reactions (power plants, bombs, etc.)
> For context, the 0.1 rem yearly dose to the patient is about 1/6th of the average background dose we all get every year. Wouldn't you be more concerned about dose rates in tissues near the device though, rather than whole body dose? At the surface of the pacemaker it would be about 90 rem / year.