[ RadSafe ] Comments on Japan reactor accident and initial injuries

[shima]

On 03/26/11 08:03, Scott Davidson wrote:
> We probably should ask members from those forums to put in their 2
> cents and resist speculation and silly threads like banana dose
> equivalents and focus on how we in the community of professionals
> dedicated to worker protection can offer our collective experience to
> address the current and imminent issues.
>
> Thanks
>
> B. Scott Davidson, CHP, CSP

While I do regard that banana equivalent dose and it's wholesale use to 
"relativise" the dangers of radiation, the thread was far from "silly". 
It is an attempt to get some categorically sound science of this issue.

This, IMHO , rather stupid notion seems to have originated on this very 
list in 1995. This is also a list where there should be qualified 
expertise to give a clear, definitive, documentable answer to whether 
this calculation has any scientific legitimacy.

Two recent postings on What's Up With That web site , which has a huge 
global following, were totally committed to propagating this idea. They 
received enthusiastic applause from a guffawing red-neck sector of his 
audience.  They seem to take it at face value (as any reasonable person 
may who does not have sufficient expertise to question it's validity).

So, I agree the idea is silly but it can and will mislead a lot of 
people about the safety of their food.

That is why, in all seriousness, I would ask anyone with competence on 
this to reply to that thread (not here) to help get a definitive 
documented answer to the question.

Thanks.