[ RadSafe ] what's scary to you?

[Stabin, Michael]

>I'm sure there were fireballs, but "thousands" of feet in the air?  Perhaps the fire dept. captain who said this was exhibiting 
some hyperbole.

Yes, I knew that was hyperbole, but there were some spectacular photos nonetheless. And I'm not just kidding about doing something. Chlorine, sulfuric acid, etc. accidents happen regularly, causing mass evacuations, injuries to responders and widespread environmental damage. Why aren't the shipping requirements stronger? People make scary movies about HLW casks crashing and irradiating thousands, when we know you can ram a train into them at 90 mph but can't make the darn things leak.

>Somewhat more to the point, doesn't anyone remember all those fireballs at Three Mile Island?  (A little hyperbole of my own. . . . )

At the time, the panic about the hydrogen bubble was pretty reasonable, and in general about loss of activity. In the end, a very minor accident from the standpoint of the public. Well, except for the panic-related traffic fatalities.


Mike

Michael G. Stabin, PhD, CHP
Associate Professor of Radiology and Radiological Sciences
Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences
Vanderbilt University
1161 21st Avenue South
Nashville, TN 37232-2675
Phone (615) 343-4628
Fax   (615) 322-3764
e-mail     michael.g.stabin at vanderbilt.edu
internet   www.doseinfo-radar.com