Re: Fear, etc.

[Al Tschaeche <antatnsu@pacbell.net>]

Gee, Sandy, I didn't know you were ready to retire.

With few exceptions, the last 12 years of my professional life were spent to placate
someone, the DOE and the public, not to protect anyone from radiation.  I guess I
should have retired much longer ago than I did.  We should all work to protect people
from whatever real deleterious effect radiation produces at whatever dose.  If the real
deleterious effect is caused by the person's fear of radiation, that fear is real for
that person.  It's his(er)'s responsibility, not the radiation's.  But usually, the
person doesn't know that and needs help to realize their error.  That's where we come
in.  Whenever I have talked to such a person, usually, not always, but most of the time
(90% plus/minus 1% at 2 sigma for those needing a numerical value) they go away from
our communication with their fear significantly reduced.  The other 10% need to be
taken to a nuclear power plant and be shown.  It's sort of like the airlines teaching
the public not to fear flying by having them fly in a real plane.  We need the public
to see real fuel fabrication plants (well, not all of them :-)), nuclear power plants,
nuclear medicine laboratories, etc.  How about setting up a school for radiation
fearful people who want to get rid of their fear?  Might make some money at that :-).
Al Tschaeche antatnsu@pacbell.net

Sandy Perle wrote:

> Dan wrote the following:
>
> >  "Unnecessary" measurements? In the larger public health picture, taking into
> >  account the fact that real health effects can be triggered by false fears,
> >  anything that can be legitimately and honestly done at reasonable cost to build
> >  or restore peace of mind is, in my opinion, a valid part of the profession of
> >  health physics.
>
> Sorry Dan, but I have to respectfully disagree with your ultimate
> conclusion. While fear of any unknown may be a valid psychosomatic
> disorder, dealing with and trying to mitigate those fears is not our
> prime responsibility. Our job is to protect the public from "real"
> exposures to radiation and releases of radioactive materials. Dealing
> with one's fears is a job for psychiatrists and those who deal with
> social disorders.
>
> As Keith stated previously, if I have to perform actions that I know
> are only being performed to placate someone, then it is time for me
> to leave this professional and move on to something that I know will
> really make a difference. Acting on superstition or misrepresenting
> the situation and environment, due to political or otherwise, is no
> different than the anti-nuclear side promoting mis-representations as
> they often do. If we do, we become their puppets, and in the end, are
> no different than they are.
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Sandy Perle                                     Tel:(714) 545-0100 / (800) 548-5100
> Director, Technical                             Extension 2306
> ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Division                Fax:(714) 668-3149
> ICN Biomedicals, Inc.                           E-Mail: sandyfl@earthlink.net
> ICN Plaza, 3300 Hyland Avenue           E-Mail: sperle@icnpharm.com
> Costa Mesa, CA 92626
>
> Personal Website:  http://www.geocities.com/scperle
> ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Website: http://www.dosimetry.com
>
> ************************************************************************
> The RADSAFE Frequently Asked Questions list, archives and subscription
> information can be accessed at http://www.ehs.uiuc.edu/~rad/radsafe.html
begin:vcard 
n:Tschaeche;Al
x-mozilla-html:FALSE
org:Nuclear Standards Unlimited
version:2.1
email;internet:antatnsu@postoffice.pacbell.net
title:CEO
x-mozilla-cpt:;0
fn:Al Tschaeche
end:vcard