Re: Accident with Am-241 smoke detectors

["J. J. Rozental" <joseroze@netvision.net.il>]

I would like to make some comments on this subject and also about risk and
cost x benefit related to practices, recently discussed:

a) Lets start with the following question: what is the primary aim of
protection and safety?

I do believe that the primary aim of protection and safety is to provide an
appropriate standard of protection and safety for humans without unduly
limiting the benefits of practices giving rise to exposure or incurring
disproportionate costs in interventions.

This aim is achieved by the application of the following principles:

Justification of practices;
Limitation of doses and risks;
Optimization of protection;
Safety of sources;
Justification of intervention;
Optimization of protective actions in intervention;
Location of sources;
Design and construction of sources;
Operation and maintenance of sources;
Legal framework and
Responsibilities

b) it seems to me that communication on practices to explain to public about
cost x benefit, risk, etc...need to be related with the above principles, in
appropriate language, according with the audience;

c) Specifically the use of smoke detectors, as devices intended for use by
the general public it was necessary an exhaustive study, including the above
related
principles. Probably one of the most interesting study relating benefit and
risk prepared in this field (consumer products).  To those interested I
suggest to read the Recommendations for Ionizing Chamber Smoke Detectors in
Implementation of Radiation Protection Standards - Nuclear Energy Agency -
(NEA) - Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), 1977

Jose Julio Rozental
joseroze@netvision.net.il
Israel
















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----- Original Message -----
From: D. Kosloff <dkosloff@ncweb.com>
To: Multiple recipients of list <radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu>
Sent: Friday, February 18, 2000 4:11 AM
Subject: Re: Accident with Am-241 smoke detectors


> Ralph Nader had a brief crusade against these about 16 years ago as
reported
> in the HP Newsletter.  Against smoke detectors, for child-killing airbags.
>
> Don Kosloff mailto:dkosloff@ncweb.com
> 2910 Main St., Perry OH 44081
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Otto G. Raabe <ograabe@ucdavis.edu>
> To: Multiple recipients of list <radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu>
> Sent: Thursday, February 17, 2000 11:29 AM
> Subject: Re: Accident with Am-241 smoke detectors
>
>
> > February 17, 2000
> > Davis, CA
> >
> > The person who opposes the use of Am-241 in smoke detectors probably
> > imagines that the Am-241 is escaping into the air in his house and
> > poisoning his family.
> >
> > The Am-241 sources in smoke detectors are so well sealed in a metallic
> gold
> > covered disk that even when one was accidently swallowed by an assembly
> > worker (I believe reported in the HPS Journal or Newsletter), it passed
> > through the GI tract with no measurable release of Am-241 into the body.
> > These are superbly sealed and safe sources as currently manufactured.
> There
> > is no scientific basis for the reported concerns.
> >
> > Otto
> >
> > *****************************************************
> > Prof. Otto G. Raabe, Ph.D., CHP
> >               Institute of Toxicology & Environmental Health (ITEH)
> >    (Street address: Building 3792, Old Davis Road)
> > University of California, Davis, CA 95616
> > Phone: 530-752-7754  FAX: 530-758-6140
> > E-mail ograabe@ucdavis.edu
> >               *****************************************************
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