The FEAR is Our own worst enemy. (Re)

[Bernard L Cohen <blc+@pitt.edu>]

On Tue, 15 Feb 2000, Philip Hypes wrote:

 Take for instance the "food industry." Several people a 
> >year die from food poisioning. 

	--There are several thousand Americans dying each year from food
poisoning. Estimates I remember are in the range 6000 - 8000


Bernard L. Cohen
Physics Dept.
University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA 15260
Tel: (412)624-9245
Fax: (412)624-9163
e-mail: blc+@pitt.edu







>foods be irratiated the cost of a few thousand $4 to $6 million dollar 
> >irradiators would be small compared to even one life being saved. What, you 
> >scoff and say it's not worth it. What if your son, daughter, wife, husband, 
> >mother, father, etc. died from tainted meat that could have been "purified" 
> >with radiation. When it comes to "food irradiation," "nuclear power," 
> >"political power," or  "any special interest" follow the money.
> >
> >Show them the money and they will show (snow) you the logic.
> 
> Very true, as is the sanity comment.  Someone recently asked what the
> solution is (in reference to public fears as they affect rad policy);  it's
> educating the children, probably at the high school level.  It wouldn't
> take much of an introduction to risk evaluation and epidemiology to equip
> the next generations that our current policies do more harm than good in
> many areas (and that there are a lot of snake oil salesmen out there).
> >
> >Sanity is rare when it come to fear of death and/or greed. But hey, all this 
> >is only my opinion and most if not all is said tounge in cheek.
> >
> >John P. Hageman, CHP, Radiation Safety Officer, Southwest Research
> Institute, 
> >6220 Culebra Road, San Antonio, TX 78238 
> >Ph: 210-522-2633, Fax: 210-522-5720, jph@swri.edu
> 
> Phil
> 
> 
> ___________________________________________________________
> Philip Hypes
> Los Alamos National Laboratory
> Safeguards Science and Technology Group (NIS 5)
> (505) 667-1556  phypes@lanl.gov
> 
> Opinions expressed are purely my own unless otherwise noted
> 
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