a. OEG could be used to select units with low radiation doses to perform missions requiring
exposure to radiation. Without due consideration, it may be said that, "The selection of an OEG of 20,
30, or 50 cGy for one operation will not cause casualties." This may be true for a unit that previously has
absorbed no radiation. However, if a unit already has a dose of 140 cGy, an additional 50 cGy would
probably make that unit ineffective. On the other hand, if a unit already has a dose of only 20 cGy, the
additional 50 cGy would not make it ineffective. This verifies the fact that operational records should
continuously reflect the unit's RES. It is vital to help the commander maintain the combat effectiveness
of personnel.
b. It would be meaningless to establish one numerical value or acceptable degree of risk as an
OEG to be valid for all units throughout a campaign. The establishment of an OEG for a particular
campaign helps maintain the combat effectiveness of personnel and depends upon that unit's previous
exposure history. OEG must be established for each operation and must be based on the unit's RES at
that time and the combat situation.
c. OEG will be established for all levels of command, from the division down to and including the
company. The expression of the OEG will vary with the level of command. Normally, the division and
brigade will express the OEG as the acceptable degree of risk for the operation. On the other hand, the
battalion normally will express the OEG as a numerical exposure for each of its units according to its past
history, current operation plans or orders, and the situation. Under extreme conditions, the division
and/or brigade may establish a numerical OEG.
d. Although the battalion normally establishes the OEG for each of its units, the company
commander must understand the concept behind the OEG. There may be situations when a company will
operate as a separate unit. When this situation occurs, the company commander may be required to
establish the OEG for his unit.
PART B: IDENTIFY TERMS USED IN RADIOLOGICAL EXPOSURE
REPORTING AND CONTROL
1-4. General. In order to understand radiological exposure reporting and control, you must be familiar
with exposure control and know the meaning of the critical terms used.
1-5. Radiation Unit. In order to measure radiation, we must have a unit for expressing a quantity of
radiation, just as we measure distances in units of miles or a quantity of gasoline in gallons. Our ultimate
concern when dealing with radiation is to protect personnel from excessive exposure. We want to be able
to measure the biological effect of radiation. Any object, living or not, will absorb radiation. When
living tissue is exposed to a field of radiation, there is definite biological damage. The amount of damage
to the tissue is directly proportional to the amount of energy absorbed per unit mass of tissue. Thus, for
determining the biological effect, a unit of measurement that measures the energy absorption per unit
mass is the cGy. This is the radiation unit that forms the basis for exposure control. The total radiation
dose is defined as the total amount of radiation a soldier or unit has received in all past exposure, or the
cumulative radiation dose absorbed.
1-6. Categories of Exposure. Radiation exposure data at the platoon level forms the basis for
determining RES. RES has been established in four categories based on dose criteria. These dose criteria
are based on the best available estimates for predicting the effects of radiation exposure.
a. RES-0 applies to a unit that has never been exposed to nuclear radiation. The unit has received
no dose.
1-3
CM2306
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