We're Better Off Not Knowing

OK for Superman, but not for us!

Sometimes, we're better off just not knowing...I mean, there are a variety of circumstances in which we probably would be happier if we could just go merrily on our way, safe from imagining the horrible things that were going on inside our bodies. I remember when I found out that the human mouth had more germs than a dog's mouth...I wouldn't even let my mom kiss me goodnight for months! (that's not to say that I let the dog do so, either)...or the first time I looked at human tissue under a microscope...or blood...all that stuff moving around gave me the willies. I think it's the same situation with radiation: we're better off not knowing. And if you feel the same way, stop reading right now and get out your kindle and read the New York Times, because I have some disturbing news about radiation, its sources, and your body.
Discovered in Time magazine (so you KNOW it's totally accurate), there are six major causes of radiation in our lives, and the sad part is that we can't avoid most of them without trying really, really hard. Most of the really harmful radiation is called ionizing radiation, but the non-ionizing type just hasn't gotten the same scrutiny...so you know it's only going to be a matter of time before we find out its skeleton-making properties.. Here's a list of the most frequently ingested sources of ionizing radiation for the average American.

1. M.R.I. Ever had one, designed to discover some deep, dark, medical malfunction? Bad news for this one...up to 10,000 millirem (mrem) of ionizing radiation. In this case, I think I'd rather not know what the problem was and simply have that body part fall off one day.

2. Smoking. up to 3,900 mrem of radiation. Smoke a lot? Write a will, and don't pretend to be surprised...there are enough carcinogens placed purposely in there to kill a, well, human being.

3. Air travel. 26 mrem for a round-trip, coast-to-coast flight...pretzels an added sodium bonus so uou can die happy.

4. Live in Denver, do you? Sad to be you because you get 50 mrem of radiation compared to only 24 for the lucky folks living at sea level in places like New York...but then, they have garbage strikes and the Mets, so maybe that's a wash.

5. TV. If you are an average American, you watch television 4.5 hours a day and pick up 1 mrem of radiation for your viewing pleasure. That doesn't sound like much, but just remember that's just for watching the Super Bowl commercials! There's just got to be more if you watch every episode of Jersey Shore.

Of course, we've all heard about the dangers of cell phones and radio antennae on the back of your Honda Aspencade, but how much does it all amount to, really?
Those in the know say it would take a 1,000,000 mrem burst of radiation to kill a person outright, and even nuclear plant meltdowns don't put out that kind of destructive power immediately...over time--well, that's a different story.
Just like MRI's, air travel, TV's and smoking.

So, I wonder about the destructive force of a nuclear family?
I'm better off not knowing some things, it appears.