Posted on Aug 25, 2022
Have veterans exposed to radiation on Johnston Atoll been qualified for health & disability income?
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Thor missile burned down on launch pad with a nuclear weapon. Furthermore, Thor missile with nuclear weapon was destroyed by the range officer after launch. The latter incident occurred as part of USA atmospheric test program of nuclear weapons.
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Johnston Atoll
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Johnston Atoll Disability
Posted >1 y ago
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Did they get their exposure levels documented? For the uninitiated:
Radiation exposure is measured in millisievert (mSv).
A chest X-ray can run 0.2 mSv.
Standing next to exposed depleted uranium (DU) can dose you at about 2 mSv per hour.
Background radiation in the environment is about 2.4 mSv per year.
A CT scan is 10 mSv.
Low dose radiation (safeish) falls below 100 mSv (think radiation workers and cancer treatments)
Symptoms of Acute Radiation Sickness (ARS) can begin to set in at 200 mSv. ARS manifests usually within a 60 days after exposure. You can recover from ARS.
Radiation burns happen at 500 mSv.
Brain and Heart functioning become impaired at 1,000 mSv.
Acute ARS manifest (nausea, vomiting, internal organ damage) at 1,500 mSv, and long-term damage can be detected within 6 days.
4,000 mSv is lethal. For reference, the Chornobyl fire put this off each minute while burning.
Short-term exposure is cumulative. There are types of radiation exposure that are cumulative over your lifetime.
Distance is a big factor in the amount of exposure. If you go from standing next to exposed DU to double the distance, you take 1/4 of the amount of dose. double it again and you take 1/16, and so on. Shielded DU can be disposed of relatively safely, even if it was exposed and caught fire, you would have to be pretty close to a significant amount for an extended period of time to reach levels that would cause long-term health effects. Not saying it could not happen, but there would be nuclear medicine personnel monitoring the levels of radiation on site and if levels exceeded 100 mSv, everyone should have been tested.
Radiation exposure is measured in millisievert (mSv).
A chest X-ray can run 0.2 mSv.
Standing next to exposed depleted uranium (DU) can dose you at about 2 mSv per hour.
Background radiation in the environment is about 2.4 mSv per year.
A CT scan is 10 mSv.
Low dose radiation (safeish) falls below 100 mSv (think radiation workers and cancer treatments)
Symptoms of Acute Radiation Sickness (ARS) can begin to set in at 200 mSv. ARS manifests usually within a 60 days after exposure. You can recover from ARS.
Radiation burns happen at 500 mSv.
Brain and Heart functioning become impaired at 1,000 mSv.
Acute ARS manifest (nausea, vomiting, internal organ damage) at 1,500 mSv, and long-term damage can be detected within 6 days.
4,000 mSv is lethal. For reference, the Chornobyl fire put this off each minute while burning.
Short-term exposure is cumulative. There are types of radiation exposure that are cumulative over your lifetime.
Distance is a big factor in the amount of exposure. If you go from standing next to exposed DU to double the distance, you take 1/4 of the amount of dose. double it again and you take 1/16, and so on. Shielded DU can be disposed of relatively safely, even if it was exposed and caught fire, you would have to be pretty close to a significant amount for an extended period of time to reach levels that would cause long-term health effects. Not saying it could not happen, but there would be nuclear medicine personnel monitoring the levels of radiation on site and if levels exceeded 100 mSv, everyone should have been tested.
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CSM William Everroad
SGT J W - I have heard that statement before "equivalent exposure to an X-ray" and I never trusted it because people use it out of context. Measuring the exposure for DU is different for Ammunition handlers vs loaders vs technicians. Like I said before radiation comes in different flavors and is cumulative. One x-ray a year for 40 years is not necessarily bad, but an x-ray every 30 minutes for 20 years may do some damage. I would consult an expert, I am no where near that but I have had a crash course since my Soldiers handled or were near DU in the past.
I think the concern that some of the Service members that were stationed there have is there was there was little information provided in the aftermath of the disposal. My guess would be those close enough to where exposure could have exceeded 100 mSv would know for sure, but those outside that radius likely would have been told the same as you if that.
I think the concern that some of the Service members that were stationed there have is there was there was little information provided in the aftermath of the disposal. My guess would be those close enough to where exposure could have exceeded 100 mSv would know for sure, but those outside that radius likely would have been told the same as you if that.
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SGT J W
CSM William Everroad
Agreed the lack of information leads to speculation on the causes of SM illness. This matter is further compounded by reports of soil remediation on the island.
If the island's soil was safe why was it necessary for remediation?
At the time I was there there was a large area fenced off by a chain link fence with the typical radiation warning signs preventing entrance.
https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/769160
Agreed the lack of information leads to speculation on the causes of SM illness. This matter is further compounded by reports of soil remediation on the island.
If the island's soil was safe why was it necessary for remediation?
At the time I was there there was a large area fenced off by a chain link fence with the typical radiation warning signs preventing entrance.
https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/769160
Independent Verification Survey of the Clean Coral Storage Pile at the Johnston Atoll Plutonium...
The U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Scientific and Technical Information
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CSM William Everroad
SGT J W - Interesting find. This would be enough for me, if I had served there, to look back over my paperwork and talk to the CO if I were having health issues related to exposure.
While soil remediation could indicate the cumulative "absorption", it is curious that the contractor had not submitted their final report as to how much of the remediation met guidelines for acceptable limits. This was 23 years ago, so there might be more info out there.
While soil remediation could indicate the cumulative "absorption", it is curious that the contractor had not submitted their final report as to how much of the remediation met guidelines for acceptable limits. This was 23 years ago, so there might be more info out there.
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CPO (Join to see)
Back in the day dosimetry was an after thought. I can’t find anywhere that they had personal dosimetry but area monitors along with air monitors were most likely the closest thing they had. But trust me, the government has the data it is just the matter of knocking on the right door…
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