Ow, My Brain

Am on the reference desk today, on this sunny Saturday, but there are too many people with too many questions!! Have been trying to bend my brain around this question: "How much radiation does the average person get in a routine medical X-ray? (He wants a measureable amount)" This seems straightforward, right? Have been poring over science encyclopediae and medical encyclopediae, and browsing our health database. There are, first of all, too many different uses for x-rays. And the explanations, I think, are not actually written in English. Or in a dialect that this squirrel understands, anyway.

Finally, have found a nice little number in the Merck Manual: average dose from diagnostic x-rays for average person, 0.39 millisieverts. MILLISIEVERTS?? Qu'est-ce que c'est 'millisieverts'?

Merck also says (love Merck!), "Radiation dose is measured in...the roentgen (R), the gray (Gy), and the sievert (Sv)." Great. What is a sievert?

Random House Dictionary: sievert: "The SI unit of dose equivalent when the absorbed dose is measured in gray." Oh, come on. Sheesh.

Shorter Oxford (OED): sievert: "An SI unit of dose equivalent of ionizing radiation, defined as that which delivers one joule of energy per kilogram of recipient mass, and equal to 100 rem." Ah, of course. *cough*

This hurts my brain, but have just called the patron, and he already knows what a sievert is!!! Smart, clever, lovely patron.

Was planning to write for Liz a history of my frothzen tongue, but the dethk wath too buthy. Mutht wait for later.