During the 1950s, nuclear bombs were tested on islands in the South Pacific. In one test, personnel on a nearby island received 10 mGy per hour of beta and gamma radiation. Part A At this rate, how long would it take to receive a potentially lethal dose equivalent of 4.5 Sv? Express your answer using two significant figures.

450hours.

Explanation:

In radiobiology, the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) is defined as the ratio of biological effectiveness of one type of ionizing radiation relative to another, given the same amount of absorbed energy.

For the step by step solution,

Dose Equivalent is

Sv = Dose in Gy x RBE

Note that RBE for both Gamma And Beta gamma is equal to 1.

Dose In Gy is ---

GY =4.5

Therefore the time taken (t) to receive 4.5Gy is

t = 4.5Gy/10Gy/h (Please go Through the attached files for continuation

The answer is= 450hours.