[OCCASparky]

Background is far lower than 1mR per hour. Assuming your normal exposure from all natural sources is about 100mR per year, you’d be looking at roughly 0.01 mR/hr. So even at 1000X background, you’re still around 10mR/hr. Significant, but you’d have to stay there on the order of a month to approach 10CFR20 limits (5R/year.)

[TigerLikesRooster]

I also get the feeling(since I am not an expert, I can't have professional opinion even if I want to.:-)) that this won't reach anything remotely close to Chernobyl level. No more serious than toxic chemical spill in the immediate vicinity.

Libs would be disappointed eventually.

[freepersup]

That's pretty much what I was thinking. Hyperbole by the panty wetting news muffins.

I believe that if the doo doo were to hit the fan, lots of employees would risk heavy exposure to get things done.

I did 6 refuelings (built scaffolding) at Clinton Power Station, Clinton, IL. I might have gotten 15-20 REM total exposure. Fascinating work, crawling ALL over the systems and nooks and cranies... I likened the work to a mouse being allowed to crawl on a recently shut off racing engine, when explaining my job to friends and family. Lots of Homer Simpson T shirts were en vogue with the full spectrum of radiological workers. Chaos = cash. LOL.