[ RadSafe ] Busby's bloated ego

[Steven Dapra]

May 15

	This is the link to the partial transcript of 
conversation between Professor Chris Busby, 
Scientific Secretary of the European Committee on 
Radiation Risk, and Dr Jack Valentin, Scientific 
Secretary Emeritus International Commission on 
Radiological Protection.  It is part of a public 
meeting in Stockholm, 22 April 2009 marking the 23rd anniversary of Chernobyl.

http://www.euradcom.org/2009/lesvostranscript.htm

	About three-fourths of the way through the 
conversation, Busby is hounding Jack Valentin for 
a risk model to be used in evaluating the siting 
of power reactors.  (ECRR is the European 
Committee on Radiation Risk, whose scientific 
secretary is Busby.)  The following colloquy ensues:

Busby:

. . . When you build new nuclear power stations, 
or [consider] any nuclear policy, you need to 
know what would happen if something went wrong. 
You need some kind of model, and at the moment 
they are using your ICRP model. Are you saying 
they should be or they shouldn't be? You seem to 
be saying they should use no model at all. Is it guesswork, or what?

Valentin:

Well I certainly wouldn't say they should use 
your [Busby's and the ECRR's] model because 


Busby:

ECRR gives the right answer.

Valentin:

  
 no it's the wrong answer, leading to large 
expenditure that would not be sensible and could 
be used to save lives in other [ways].


	When I read "ECRR gives the right answer" I 
burst out laughing.  Can you *believe* the 
bloated ego of Busby???  Busby's comments and 
claims in this partial transcript are so silly it 
defies description.  I'd like to write more 
however I have an important errand to run and must leave.  More later.

Steven Dapra