[ RadSafe ] Collective Dose and Death

[Sewell, Linda]

My favorite collective dose analogy is the person-foot.

If 100 people each jump off a 1 foot curb and 1 person jumps off a 100
foot "curb" are the health effects the same?  

Linda Sewell
 

-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu
[mailto:radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu] On Behalf Of Rees, Brian G
Sent: Wednesday, January 05, 2011 6:28 AM
To: Jerry Cohen; The International RadiationProtection (Health Physics)
Mailing List
Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Collective Dose and Death

I'm quite sure this person has a promising career in politics or Fox
News... 

Brian Rees




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
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-- 
Bernard L. Cohen
Physics Dept., University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA 15260
Tel: (412)624-9245  Fax: (412)624-9163
e-mail: blc at pitt.edu  web site: http://www.phyast.pitt.edu/~blc

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