[ RadSafe ] Collective Dose and Death

[Steven Dapra]

Jan. 4

         Is there an appropriate response to someone this stupendously dumb?

Steven Dapra


At 06:09 PM 1/4/2011, you wrote:
>During a college lecture on radiation effects, I once offered the profound
>observation that, regardless of radiation exposure, the death rate will be
>exactly one per person. In the discussion that followed, a student 
>said that he
>disagreed with my observation stating that, "if you consider all of the human
>beings who were ever born, most are still alive, so that based upon 
>statistical
>evidence, the death rate must be < 0.5/person". I am still trying to think of
>what might have been an appropriate response.
>
>Jerry Cohen
>
>_______________________________
>From: Glenn R. Marshall <GRMarshall at philotechnics.com>
>To: The International Radiation Protection (Health Physics) Mailing List
><radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu>
>Sent: Tue, January 4, 2011 8:41:13 AM
>Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Collective Dose
>
>I suspect, were we to add up all the statistical deaths from all hypothetical
>sources and hazards (not just deadly ionizing radiation) over the course of a
>year, the total would exceed the earth's population.  I do not 
>intend to go to
>all the trouble to do that, but someone with a lot of spare time.....
>
>
>Glenn Marshall, CHP, RRPT
>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu
>[mailto:radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu] On Behalf Of Bernard L. Cohen
>Sent: Tuesday, January 04, 2011 1:15 PM
>To: The International Radiation Protection (Health Physics) Mailing List
>Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Collective Dose
>
>There is nothing complicated about this issue. Collective dose is very
>meaningful if linear-no threshold theory (LNT) is valid -- it predicts
>the number of deaths caused. But if LNT is not valid, it is essentially
>meaningless except as a political tool.
>
>On 1/4/2011 9:47 AM, Otto G. Raabe wrote:
> >
> >> January 4, 2011
> >
> > Collective dose is meaningless and misleading. Only individual dose is
> > meaningful.
> >
> > Otto
> >
> >
> > **********************************************
> > Prof. Otto G. Raabe, Ph.D., CHP
> > Center for Health & the Environment
> > University of California
> > One Shields Avenue
> > Davis, CA 95616
> > E-Mail: ograabe at ucdavis.edu
> > Phone: (530) 752-7754   FAX: (530) 758-6140

[edit]