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stonewall384 t1_jdkwcca wrote

Reply to comment by throwleboomerang in Xcel Energy to power down Monticello nuclear plant early after more radioactive water leaks out by VaccumSaturdays

I understand it is a harmless amount of radiation, but it is dishonest to say it is less than background. Anything added to background is more than background. This is an example of some company trying to skirt regulations. If they distort the truth, they distort the truth they deserve the fines

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throwleboomerang t1_jdkxg80 wrote

You are just plain wrong. Let's say we've got a sample of that tritium and it reads 3 counts per second (CPS) on a lead-encased geiger counter (i.e. not exposed to background level). If I then take a non-lead encased counter outside, it now reads 10 CPS from normal atmospheric/environmental radiation. If I then take the tritium outside of the lead and measure it with the unshielded meter I will likely still get 10 CPS, i.e. no increase in background. The tritium in this case has less than the background radioactivity and therefore does not cause an increase, which means your dose does not increase.

Edit- this is an example, the CPS are made up to illustrate the point, lest you think I am stating exactly what will happen.

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stonewall384 t1_jdl7kma wrote

“Let’s say” you Ben Shapiro or something.

No supposing, just facts. The environment already had an amount of tritium, they added more to it. A Geiger counter is an inappropriate instrument for the energy level of beta given off by tritium b y the way

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