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62

the highest dose (mrad per picocurie per milligram of iron) is delivered to
ferritin aggregates as compared with red blood cell or the whole body.

How-

ever, the integral dose (gram-rad per picocurie per milligram of iron)is
"inversely related and the smaller entities,such as ferritin, aggregates receive

smaller integral doses than the red blood cells or the entire body.

The

dose to ferritin aggregates is several orders of magnitude greater than that

to red cells whereas the integral dose to ferritin aggregates is less than
that to the red cells.
On must also consider the possible effects of radiation on different

targets.

That is, circulating red cells do not divide and the ferritin

aggregates within the entire human body contain roughly 400 milligrams of
stable iron.
Calculations were made of the total

(infinity) dose to various biological

‘ entities of New York residents in 1965 arising from average concentrations of
3.4 picocuries of iron-55 per milligram of iron.

The results indicated doses

of 1.4, 0.46 and 235 millirad for the red cells, red marrow and ferritin

aggregates, respectively.

However, the integral doses for the red cells,

red marrow and ferritin aggregates were 3.5, 0.69 and about 0.5 gram-rads.
Question 12C
Is it true that in 1960,

the ICRP maximum permissible concentration of

strontiwum-9O was 33 picocuries per litcr of milk, but that in 1962, the

Federal Ra@intion Council raised the acceptable concentration to 200?
If so, what changed the earlier benefit-vs-risk judgment?
Had the risk

gone down, or had the benefit gone up?
Answer 12C

The basic radiation protection standard for strontium-90 has been the

Select target paragraph3