LNT/ALARA and workable regulations (formerly"Practically workable?")

[GlennACarlson@aol.com]

In an attempt to get back on track, I repost my original message:

 "And even if hormetic/threshold effects were real, there is no way to assure 
a 
 particular incremental dose didn't result in a cumulative dose exceeding the 
 threshold and resulting in increased risk.  As a matter of radiation 
 protection policy, hormesis/threshold effects are practically unworkable.  
 ALARA lives."

Except for Mr. Cohen's, the responses to my original post in this thread have 
been off point; instead replaying the too commonly expressed RADSAFE theme 
that the proponents of LNT/ALARA are stupid or dishonest and the proponents 
of hormesis/non-ALARA are intelligent and honest.  

Mr. Cohen's approaches seems to be 1) relax the exposure limits on radiation 
until the number of people who identifiably die from the effects of radiation 
could no longer be swept under the rug of statistical background noise or 2) 
relax the exposure limits on radiation until the number of people who 
identifiably die from radiation is comparable to the number who die from 
other environmental pollutants such as air pollution (tens of thousands?).  
The rationale is that these deaths are the acceptable or, even, desirable 
sacrifice to technological progress and creation of wealth.

I read a lot of whining on RADSAFE about "LNT - bad; hormesis - good," 
"public - stupid; nukes - smart," "regulators - dishonest; industry - 
righteous," but I have yet hear a specific, reasonable, workable change to 
radiation safety regulations implementing hormetic principles.  Is hormesis 
just the nuclear industry's way of saying "I told ya so," or part of the 
pro-nuke public relations campaign ("Radiation - the healthy alternative."), 
or just an attempt to rub the anti-nukes' noses in it ("Is SO!")?

Let's see.  So far we have relax the limits and abandon ALARA.  Any other 
suggestions?
 
 Glenn A. Carlson, P.E.
 glennacarlson@aol.com
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