[ RadSafe ] Dirty Bomb Material Crosses Border

[Bradt, Clayton (LABOR)]

Yes, but then again how many Americans have been terrorized by radon in
their basements? This despite EPA's decade long campaign to scare the
hell out of people about it.  It has not been demonstrated to my
satisfaction that Americans will panic if a dirty bomb goes off.  This
is a dubious assumption based upon popular psycho-babble that has
entered into the common wisdom without much reflection.  Americans get
upset about radioactivity in the environment when they know somebody
else is going to pay to clean it up.   Tell them it's going to come out
of their own pockets, and they become much more accepting of a little
contamination.
 
Clayton J. Bradt, CHP
Principal Radiophysicist
NYS Dept. of Labor
phone: (518) 457 1202
fax:     (518) 485 7406
e-mail: clayton.bradt at labor.state.ny.us
 
________________________________

From: BLHamrick at aol.com [mailto:BLHamrick at aol.com] 
Sent: Friday, March 31, 2006 2:09 AM
To: ray2hoover at yahoo.com; Bradt, Clayton (LABOR); radsafe at radlab.nl
Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Dirty Bomb Material Crosses Border
 
Yes, terrorizing with any amount of radioactivity will work in this
country, because many of the government agencies (including, and
especially right now, GAO) keep reinforcing that idea.  I believe that
was one of  Mr. Bradt's points - the "injury" is self-inflicted - if the
agencies keep buying into (and thereby reinforcing) the panic scenario,
rather than making a deliberate and concerted effort to pre-empt a panic
response with appropriate information, then we only have ourselves to
blame.
 
Barbara
 
In a message dated 3/30/2006 10:45:22 P.M. Pacific Standard Time,
ray2hoover at yahoo.com writes:
	The purpose behind a dirty bomb is not to kill, it is to
terrorize.  For that purpose, any amount of radioactive material will
work.  To the public the setting off of a dirty bomb means the area of
the explosion is contaminated for a thousand years.