Re: STAR at work - the Bq police etc

["Bjorn Cedervall" <bcradsafers@hotmail.com>]

Al's initiatve is important. I think that major efforts from our (health 
physicists, radiation scientists etc) need to be made constantly, year after 
year, to educate the public about natural radiation. The scrap metal topic 
works politically because it makes good headlines and rhetorics 
("radioactive toys" etc). I mentioned the other day that Sweden now 
essentially is moving toward "no escaping becquerels" (Sweden has signed the 
OSPAR convention). I don't know the outcome yet but the ideas may become 
very expensive to our NPPs and result in no real benefit. Applied to other 
areas (industries, activities in your home, visits to restaurants (there may 
be a few molecules of PAH there...), many activities that people are 
involved in would have to be shut down.

These ideas are absorbed by the public and many decision makers etc because 
of the combination of sensationalism and lack of understanding for detection 
limits and statistical variation, natural radiation etc.

My personal opinions only ("another prayer in the church"),

Bjorn Cedervall    bcradsafers@hotmail.com

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