[ RadSafe ] [Nuclear News] Nuclear Energy Fuels Lecture - FormerNRC Chairman

[Steven Dapra]

Nov. 26

         I've said it before (perhaps not on RADSAFE):  The post September 
11 paranoia has gotten entirely out of hand.

Steven Dapra


At 11:43 AM 11/26/07 -0800, Brennan, Mike  (DOH) wrote:
>Sandy, thank you again for culling the news for articles of interest to
>our community.
>
>The below story, "Top Scottish Police Officer..." is one of the most
>dreadful pieces of fear-mongering I've ever seen.  If he believes half
>of what he is quoted as having said, he deserves to be fired and
>replaced with someone who understand the issues.
>
>I completely agree that if someone is able to cause a nuclear explosion
>in a city it will indeed be bad at an incredible level, and emergency
>services will probably fail in several aspects for a period of days or
>weeks.  But causing such an explosion is a non-trivial challenge on
>several fronts, and is not the most likely radiological terrorist event.
>
>If Dickinson believes the result of an RDD attack requires the
>authorities be prepared for "absolute terror", then he needs to be
>replaced by someone who believes in informing the public so an
>appropriate and orderly response can occur.
>
>His statement, "An incident will continue for days and all the public
>will see is people dying without reason. What will we do when our
>children come home from school with blisters on their skin and their
>parents don't know what to do?" is absurd at many levels. Does he know
>ANYTHING about radiation, its detectability, and its effects?
>
>Having a policeman in "a regulation black protection suit" stalking
>through the audience like Death would be funny if it weren't so
>pathetic.  And since when are anti-Cs black?
>
>His lack of understanding about decon is also disturbing.  It's not that
>hard, it's not that dangerous, and in some cases (like most of the Po210
>contamination cited) it's not that necessary.
>
>In preparing for a radiological terrorism event we need to plan for
>panic, but there is no need to embrace it.