Picture this...

[Michael Stabin <stabin@npd.ufpe.br>]

Dan Strom wrote:

> Since 1980, I have been alarmed at HPS members who think that "radiation
> protection" means protecting radiation's good name from the anti's rather
than
> protecting humankind and the environment from the harmful effects of
radiation.

Dan, I appreciate your point, but I don't see so much paranoia and being
"anti the anti's" as I see reactions to simply outrageous statements.
Statements which, if heeded, threaten needlessly to remove valuable
technologies such as power production or food irradiation from society.  If
a group of wackos was claiming that we should immediately halt all
gallbladder surgeries because of the risk of rusty scalpels killing hundreds
of thousand of Americans, I would expect surgeons to step up to the mike and
say "That's ridiculous.  We know how, and routinely do use properly
sterilized equipment ,and these risks are under control." If those surgeons
sat quietly by and left all our citizens to suffer with gallstones because
of such statements, that would be a moral failing. Similarly, when
anti-nukes say not just things we don't agree with, but make outrageously
incorrect inferences and extrapolations, I think it is our moral
responsibility to say what is right, if we know what is right, and assist in
the leading of our society to economically, morally, technologically, and
socially correct decisions. I think we can do our jobs well AND participate
in public debate when necessary, and I suggest furthemore we have some
responsibility to do so.

(BTW, I know that gallbladder surgery is currently done more with lasers
than with scalpels, my wife had that surgery.)


Michael Stabin, PhD, CHP
Departamento de Energia Nuclear/UFPE
Av. Prof. Luiz Freire, 1000 - Cidade Universitaria
CEP 50740 - 540
Recife - PE
Brazil
Phone 55-81-271-8251 or 8252 or 8253
Fax  55-81-271-8250
E-mail stabin@npd.ufpe.br

"Quantum Mechanics: The dreams stuff is made of"
- Steven Wright


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