[ RadSafe ] Dollars per life saved

[Joel C.]

This value, dollars per life saved, used to be of interest in rad safety regulations.  Today, I came across a new requirement in California for carbon monoxide detectors in all homes.  (Hold your comments on our screwed up state.)  The state Air Resources Board estimates 30 to 40 "avoidable deaths" per year from CO overexposure.  Someone estimated the costs of the requirement by multiplying the cost of a detector (about 20 bucks) with the number of households in the state, and came up with $260 million.  That doesn't include installation and is probably low.  In any event, the dollars per life saved comes out to a minimum of $6.5 million.  I pass that on without comment.


Joel 
joelc at alum.wpi.edu