[ RadSafe ] "exposure" to radiation in other languages

[HOWARD.LONG at comcast.net]

"Overdose" should replace most use of  "Exposure" to ionizing radiation,
since everyone is constantly "exposed" from his own K40,
cosmic rays, etc. 

The same should be done with chemicals, since trace minerals 
largely eliminated from purified foods (like selenium - diabetes,
lithium - hyperactivity, etc) are also ubiquitous (all around) 
but often deficient for best health - as with ionizing radiation.

Howard Long


-------------- Original message -------------- 
From: "Ansari, Armin (CDC/CCEHIP/NCEH)" <asa4 at cdc.gov> 

> Dear radsafe colleagues, 
> 
> As you are well aware, we always have difficulty communicating the 
> concept of "exposure" to non-radiation audiences in plain English. This 
> is because the word "exposure" in case of chemical and biological agents 
> means coming in contact with something - similar to how we use 
> "contamination". Exposure to radiation of course means just that, no 
> contamination. This distinction is second nature to us, but very 
> difficult to get across even to a highly-educated audience. We find the 
> word "irradiation" works better than exposure, but so much of our 
> technical literature and fact sheets still use the word exposure. 
> 
> I was wondering if a similar difficulty is encountered in languages 
> other than English. What words are used for "exposure" and 
> "contamination" and if the word used for exposure to chemicals or 
> biological agents creates the same communication issues in those 
> languages. 
> 
> If you can reply to me off-line with information about any other 
> languages you know, I would appreciate it very much, and I would later 
> share a summary with the group. 
> 
> Thanks in advance! 
> 
> Armin 
> 
> 
> _________________________ 
> Armin Ansari, PhD, CHP 
> Radiation Studies Branch, EHHE, NCEH 
> Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
> Atlanta, GA 30341-3717 
> Phone: 770-488-3654 
> FAX: 770-488-1539 
> asa4 at cdc.gov 
> 
> 
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