elijah’s adventure

The Trinity test was the first nuclear explosion, set near Alamogordo, New Mexico. Twice a year, tourists are permitted to walk the grounds of the test site. “But what about the radiation?”, you exclaim. According to the Alamogordo Trinity website, “Radiation levels in the fenced, ground zero area are low. On an average the levels are only 10 times greater than the region’s natural background radiation. A one hour visit to the inner fenced area will result in a whole body exposure of one half to one milliroentgen (mrem). To put things in perspective, an adult receives an average of 90 milliroentgens every year from natural and medical sources. For instance, the Department of Energy says we receive between 35 and 50 milliroentgens every year from the sun and from 20 to 35 milliroentgens every year from our food. Living in a brick house adds 50 milliroentgens of exposure every year compared to living in a frame house. Finally, flying coast to coast in a jet airliner gives an exposure of between three and five milliroentgens on each trip.” However, be sure not to collect Trinitite, silica melted by an atomic explosion, as it is mildly radioactive and will cause you to grow a tail. The site is only open two times a year, with the next two dates being October 7th, 2006 and April 7th, 2006.