Radiation vs conventional ATB casualties AW: [ RadSafe ] "Chernobyl Radiation Equal to Everyday Risks" - JimSmith, UK

[Rainer.Facius at dlr.de]

"Many of the approximately 210,000 people who died in the immediate aftermath of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were victims of ARS."

The above quote from Smith's laudable and professional attempt to evaluate radiation risks relative to other frequent health risks could be read as to perpetuate a frequent misunderstanding. Among the immediate victims, at least 85% but possibly up to 95% were killed by the purely conventional effects of the explosion, i.e., by heat, fire, pressure, injuries from tumbling building materials etc. Only the remainder lost their lives due to the acute radiation syndrome. Of course in absolute terms these still are (too) many, yet only a minor fraction of the total loss.

 

BTW, the total number of late cancer deaths assigned to the radiation exposure of the about 80000 RERF-ATB survivors amounts to (recently) less than 600 in the 60(!!!) years of follow-up.

 

Rainer

 

Dr. Rainer Facius
German Aerospace Center
Institute of Aerospace Medicine
Linder Hoehe
51147 Koeln
GERMANY
Voice: +49 2203 601 3147 or 3150
FAX:   +49 2203 61970