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A worker fell into a nuclear reactor pool

nrc.gov

451–460 of 545 posts

Re: A worker fell into a nuclear reactor pool

#451
post #433

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> This isn't "don't take your meds", it's "use all the available tools". Agreed - low dose daily cialis/tadalafil (e.g. 5mg/day) is very common among elite athletes, bodybuilders, etc. As are GLP-1's despite elite athletes rarely being overweight. Tadalafil is taken for its endothelial benefits (erections are a convenient side effect), and GLP's for its nutrient partitioning and insulin sensitization effects. Medicat…

At a baseline, healthy vitals (blood pressure, blood sugar, heart function, preservation of bone mass/density, and lean/muscle mass, avoiding accumulation of excess fat, particularly visceral / mid-section fat). Beyond that, if goals are for specific performance targets, in some athletic or competitive activity, you'll want to tune your training toward that. Again, the baseline is remarkably consistent, it's the high…

> Going off-label on prescriptions, especially without a doctor's supervision, carries its own set of risks.

The biggest hurdle I've encountered personally is primary care doctors deal with very sick people every day (terrible diet, terrible body composition, terrible alcohol/drug habits, etc). And that's who they optimize their care for.

If you show up to a PCP and you're in shape, all vitals on point, all bloodwork looking good, the last thing the PCP wants to do is prescribe anything because "you don't need it" and "you're not sick".

Most doctors simply don't care about helping you optimize your health once you've reached "healthier than average" status.

This leads a lot of people to doing their own research, and finding health clinics outside of insurance that cater to health optimization, anti-aging, and non-standard treatments (like prescribing GLP's to people who aren't overweight, or Cialis for people who don't have ED). These clinics also aren't very good because, while they are indeed doctors or NPs, they make money off selling you prescriptions, so they are biased and usually push medications you might not really need or want. (Which again emphasizes the importance of self-education and doing your own research).

For drugs like GLP-1's, there are a whole lot of anecdotal benefits outside of weight loss. The problem with the drug industry is once a drug is approved for its most profitable use case, drug makers don't bother to pursue additional FDA approvals for additional indications because the headache isn't worth the (marginal) extra revenue.

I very much wish there were a category of doctors specializing in treating healthy people looking to optimize their health further.

Re: A worker fell into a nuclear reactor pool

#452
post #82

If my childhood taught me anything, it’s that there’s about to be an awesome superhero.

A spider will bite this guy and get the powers of a human.

his super power will be misunderstanding other spiders and prosecuting them for their otherness -_-

Re: A worker fell into a nuclear reactor pool

#453
post #401
post #338

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hey, no need to be condescending. Some people just haven't read [the xkcd.]( https://what-if.xkcd.com/29/ )

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFRUL7vKdU8

I found the "Nuclear Engineer reacts to XKCD" version of this video pretty interesting, too. Adds a little more context.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diHG9W27XeU

Re: A worker fell into a nuclear reactor pool

#455
post #246

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My understanding is that reactor and waste pools are some of the least radioactive environments as they are constantly monitored for leakage.

I'm pretty sure the engineer at the nuclear plant I visited in elementary school drank a glass of water out of that pool to demonstrate how safe it was. I hope I'm misremembering that but it's a pretty strong memory that totally locked in for me that that water is not necessarily dangerous.

I mean, apparently the inventor of lead additive to gasoline used to pour the chemical over his hands to demonstrate how safe it was -- even though he knew it was actually quite toxic. So there are people who will knowingly give themselves small doses of poison to keep the money flowing.

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IV3dnLzthDA&t=604s

Re: A worker fell into a nuclear reactor pool

#456
post #339

Earlier quoted context omitted.

TFA says: “The individual was decontaminated by radiation protection personnel but had 300 counts per minute detected in their hair. At 1632 EDT they were sent off site to seek medical attention.” Apparently they do have concerns.

300 counts per minute is nothing, almost indistinguishable from standing in a grocery store.

CPM isn't a actual measure without the service in question being specified.

Re: A worker fell into a nuclear reactor pool

#457

Relevant from Randall Munroe https://what-if.xkcd.com/29/ > What if I took a swim in a typical spent nuclear fuel pool? Would I need to dive to actually experience a fatal amount of radiation? How long could I stay safely at the surface? > Assuming you’re a reasonably good swimmer, you could probably survive treading water anywhere from 10 to 40 hours. At that point, you would black out from fatigue and drown. This i…

That blog post is about the spent fuel pool. The link is about the reactor cavity.

Wouldn’t the same principles apply?

Re: A worker fell into a nuclear reactor pool

#458
post #451

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At a baseline, healthy vitals (blood pressure, blood sugar, heart function, preservation of bone mass/density, and lean/muscle mass, avoiding accumulation of excess fat, particularly visceral / mid-section fat). Beyond that, if goals are for specific performance targets, in some athletic or competitive activity, you'll want to tune your training toward that. Again, the baseline is remarkably consistent, it's the high…

> Going off-label on prescriptions, especially without a doctor's supervision, carries its own set of risks. The biggest hurdle I've encountered personally is primary care doctors deal with very sick people every day (terrible diet, terrible body composition, terrible alcohol/drug habits, etc). And that's who they optimize their care for. If you show up to a PCP and you're in shape, all vitals on point, all bloodwork…

I very much wish there were a category of doctors...

"Sports medicine".

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/24627-sports-...>

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sports_medicine>

You might also look into nutrition and dietetics and exercise physiology. If you're looking at cognitive function, neuropsychology and possibly some psychotherapy specialisations.

"Wellness coaching" is starting to get into the woo / overly-self-interested / conflicted domain, though there are probably a few good apples. I'd proceed with extreme caution however. There are plenty of docs who're more than happy to provide what a patient asks (and is willing to pay top dollar) for.

Re: A worker fell into a nuclear reactor pool

#460

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No you misread. One of the least radioactive areas, full stop. It is less radioactive than your house.

Oh really? Huh, very interesting, thanks.

It’s basically due to background radiation and the containment shield. The base radiation level within the nuclear plant complex is less than outside due to shielding, and water is VERY good at soaking up radiation. With safety margins considered, the top of the containment pool will have less radiation than the cosmic rays being blocked by the containment shield.
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