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Re: A dose of reality, continued



Sandy, I respect your position and I always enjoy reading your posts. 
I would also agree with you on this matter if it weren't for the fact 
that all of this has been explained several times to Mr. Crane in 
many different forums.  Mr. Crane has chosen to ignore good, sound 
input to pursue his own agenda.  He knows this, the NRC knows this 
and most state emergency planners know this.  In hindsight I probably 
should not have responsed to Mr. Crane's post as it will open the 
door for him to respond again.  For your benefit I will provide the 
following:
1.  It is not about cost:  If the stockpiling of KI were to become a 
regulatory requirement, the cost would be passed down to the 
licensee/utility and if they wanted to continue business they would 
pay the cost.
2.  His agenda is misguided because a release from a nuclear power 
facility would involve more than one isotope.  We need to protect the 
public as much as possible from any increased exposure to radiation, 
not just the increased exposure to the thyroid from I-131.  We also 
would have no way of knowing that we have reached all citizens.  The 
federal government can't get people to fill out census forms, does 
anyone seriously believe that we could get the general public to 
accept drugs from the federal government even when they are told it 
is for their own benefit?  If the public were to receive KI, what 
would their response be?  Would they stay home and continue to 
receive exposure from other isotopes?  Would they continue to milk 
the family cow?  The public already has a poor understanding of 
radiation and radioactivity,  I do not and Mr. Crane does not know 
how the public would respond.  I do know that if we evacuate the 
people from the effected area I do not have to guess.  I know 
evacuation is severe, but it is one thing the public does understand 
just based on natural hazards such as flooding, fire, tornadoes, 
hurricanes, etc.  
The points above have been made in more detail and by more 
knowledgable people than me in many forums over the last couple of 
years.   The fact that Mr. Crane continues to believe that the NRC 
has some type of hidden agenda with this issue and that they (and the 
states) are not properly concerned with protecting the public is 
insulting.
Again, the opinions expressed are strictly my own.  

     

Scott D. Flowerday
Emergency Response and Investigation Branch
Bureau of Radiation Control
(512) 834-6688
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