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Re: Los Alamos Wildfires -Airborne radioactivity news
Richard -
You've got a point ... whenever I hear "need to know" I always assume that whoever is saying that has something to hide. I've never liked it when it was said to me (most times in a somewhat condescending tone by an unnamed federal agency) ... and I'm sure the public doesn't like it either. Yes, there are potentially negative consequences to telling the complete, unabridged story ... not the least of which, as you pointed out, will be the need to do some (potentially a lot) of education. In my experience, the time spent in education (even with most hard-core "anti's" has been time well spent). If we're not willing to tell the complete, unabridged truth, then we can't expect the public to trust us.
My $0.02 worth ...
Jim Hardeman
Jim_Hardeman@mail.dnr.state.ga.us
>>> "Richard Urban Jr" <radmax@duesouth.net> 5/19/2000 15:49:28 >>>
SNIP
> From: "Michael S Ford" <MFORD@pantex.com>
> Subject: Re: Re: Los Alamos Wildfires -Airborne radioactivity news
> The HP community may be relieved to know that all air samples were (and
continue to be) submitted to a gross field analysis (field screen) and
gamma spec analysis at one of the fine NM labs .
> DOE had teams from SNL, WIPP, LLNL and Pantex supporting the monitoring
efforts. Common sampling protocols were observed by all teams.
> Stewart, I didn't see any problem with your comments based on the
knowledge that you had of the situation.... but it's "Mr. Merritt"... :-)
SNIP
> From: Kim Merritt <merritt9@llnl.gov>
> Subject: Re: Los Alamos Wildfires -Airborne radioactivity news
>.........My real
> beef is that in a politically charged atmosphere such as what is
> occurring in New Mexico right now, your comments did no one any good
> and only provided ammunition to those who think that the DOE's goal
> is to kill everyone very slowly and inefficiently with cancer or some
> other ailment.
> Are you surprised that the data presented by FEMA did not contain
> technical information such as method of analysis and activity of each
> detected isotope? Who in the public is going to understand that?
> What they need to know is that we were taking appropriate actions and
> that we did not see anything outside of background, which residual
> fallout is part of...............
> *Kim Merritt, RRPT *
> *Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory *
SNIP
> From: Jim Hardeman
> Subject: ITN news article: Israel evacuates embassy on radiation fear
> Israel evacuates embassy on radiation fear
>
> Israel is to evacuate its embassy in the ex-Soviet republic of Belarus on
fear of a radioactive scare in the region - a legacy of the 1986 nuclear
disaster at Chernobyl in nearby Ukraine.
> Wild fires there have stirred up radioactive elements remaining in the
environment and raised radiation levels downwind in Belarus.
>
> The Israelis decided to repatriate their staff in Belarus for routine
medical checks "because of the rise in radioactivity", said a spokesman.
Kim, I beg to differ on what the public 'NEEDS TO KNOW'.
This HAS BEEN and WILL BE our communities (DOE and Commercial) BIGGEST
PROBLEM, thinking we have to talk DOWN to them, just because the public and
the PRESS don't have the faintest clue what they (or we) are talking about.
Telling them ONLY what we think they'll understand DOES NOT ALLAY their
fears.
In the absence of ANY other information, the press is going to jump on
anything they can get, and INVARIABLY it will come from the ANTI- movement.
Especially when they have stories coming in like the Israeli embassy
evacuation. 'Politically charged atmospheres' have NOTHING to do with it.
The 50 year history of 'national security' silence then Clinton/Richardson
paying off anyone who cries 'wolf' does.
Having read Stuart's comments, based on what he HAD read, the 'technical
information' LACKING reports, his conclusions were sound and reasonable, and
I don't feel damning at all.
The MERE TONE of your statement... "What they need to know is... " INFERS
that they, THE PUBLIC, aren't being told everything. This not MY knowledged
sentiment (12+ yrs HP and RCT), BUT the sentiment I have HEARD FROM THE
PUBLIC. The sentiment of friends and neighbors that have asked me about it,
knowing what I do for a living.
I have always felt that one of my biggest responsibilities was to EDUCATE my
workers and the public at large, to both the dangers AND benefits of nuclear
power and radiation. Especially allaying the irrational (re Fonda and her
friends, Atomic Train/Dog, etc...) fears of new workers to the power
plants. The power plants with the most public support are the ones that
know how to explain these things in a Joe Q. Public way to a MASS audience.
If EVERY plant and DOE site in the country had a visitors center like D. C.
Cook's, where they draw the public in every weekend with community events
(arts and crafts fairs, scouting contest's etc..), the ANTI-s wouldn't even
be heard
We, as a community, need to EDUCATE, both the PRESS and the PUBLIC. If
necessary, come out with the 'USA TODAY' charts and graphs, SHOWING the
comparisons between data streams. Show them the numbers between Grand
Canyon, Southern NM, and yes even Florida fires. What's natural, fallout,
and leftover. Why not even show the Ukraine fires for comparison to really
grab'em?
Show them ALL the data, including the events leading up to the stuff being
in the ground to begin with. Yes it is a toothpulling, time consuming,
nauseating experience for us, but it is the only way we, as a community can
continue. (This is also the way to deal with the BABYTEETHs, CANCER
CLUSTERs, TOKAIMURAs, CELL PHONEs, ATOMIC TRAINs, and anything else that
comes along).
Spoonfeed the PROOF in an EDIBLE format right down their throats. Give them
so much to digest that the ANTI-s can't get a word in edgewise.
Richard Urban
HP Tech at large
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