Thousands evacuate as Fukishima nuclear emergency is declared

[Peter Lemkin]

1 Sv = 100 rem
1 mSv = 100 mrem = 0.1 rem
1 μSv = 0.1 mrem
1 rem = 0.01 Sv = 10 mSv
1 mrem = 0.00001 Sv = 0.01 mSv = 10 μSv

Dose Benchmarks
Living near a nuclear power station = less than 0.01 mSv/year[1]
Chest x-ray = 0.04 mSv[1]
Cosmic radiation (from sky) at sea level = 0.24 mSv/year[1]
Terrestrial radiation (from ground) = 0.28 mSv/year[1]
Mammogram = 0.30 mSv[1]
Natural radiation in the human body = 0.40 mSv/year[1]
Radon in the average US home = 2 mSv/year[1]
Smoking 1.5 packs/day = 13 mSv/year[2]
Gastrointestinal series = 14 mSv[1]

Symptom Benchmarks

Effects to humans of acute radiation (within one day):[3]
00.25 Sv: None
0.251 Sv: Some people feel nausea and loss of appetite; bone marrow, lymph nodes, spleen damaged.
13 Sv: Mild to severe nausea, loss of appetite, infection; more severe bone marrow, lymph node, spleen damage; recovery probable, not assured.
36 Sv: Severe nausea, loss of appetite; hemorrhaging, infection, diarrhea, skin peels, sterility; death if untreated.
610 Sv: Above symptoms plus central nervous system impairment; death expected.
Above 10 Sv: Incapacitation and death.