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Re: ALARA



On Mon, 3 Apr 2000, Jeffrey J Hoffman wrote:

> Can some of you actually be arguing against ALARA?  Don't you think it
> good to minimize your dose?  If your natural yearly dose is 1R and you
> save 25mr from a man made source, have you not saved the body from being
> exposed to 25mr?  ALARA is good for all things that could potentially be
> harmful.  If I shoot at you 5 times a year with a gun and miss, do you
> care if I try 2 more times?  I think you would mind.  25mr may or may
> not be harmful but why take the chance?  Why drive on the highway during
> rush hour if you don't have too?

	--Being shot at by bullets and driving on highways are well known
to be causes of being harmed, but being exposed to low level radiation is
not. Also, ALARA is costing our Society many billions of dollars, which is
harmful -- wealth makes health, but avoiding being shot at by bullets has
no harmful effects. 

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


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