RE: radioprotection of other species

["Tsurikov, Nick" <nick.tsurikov@iluka.com>]

Dear Fritz,

It is indeed something to think about in the 21st century and maybe to
incorporate into next ICRP recommendations.  Don't remember where I've heard
it but the following seems to me as quite appropriate:
Current ICRP recommendations: 
"The Commission therefore believes that if man is adequately protected then
the other living things are also likely to be sufficiently protected."
The idea is to change this to:
"If other living things are adequately protected then the man is also likely
to be sufficiently protected."

Just my opinion, of course.  
Implementation of something like that into practice will be, of course,
quite complicated.  However, I reckon that that's where radiation protection
philosophy will eventually end up.

Kind regards
Nick Tsurikov
Eneabba, Western Australia
http://eneabba.net/ <http://eneabba.net/>  



		-----Original Message-----
		From:	Fritz A. Seiler [mailto:faseiler@nmia.com]
		Sent:	Thursday, 4 January 2001 8:11
		To:	Multiple recipients of list
		Subject:	Re: radioprotection of other species

		Hi all, and a happy prosperous New Year,

		We should not be too cavalier about radiation safety of
other species.  Just
		before I handed over command of the Swiss Army Radiation
Laboratories to my
		successor, this question came up and had me worried quite a
bit.
		The main worry were domesticated animals, wild animals
taking a back seat at
		that time.  Consider cows in an emergency situation.
Switzerland at that time
		had fallout shelters with protection  factors of several
hundred for more than
		80% of its population.  Cows had far less protection, about
as much as their
		stable would provide.  The main thing, however, was that
cows have to be tended
		every day:
		feeding, watering and - above all - MILKING!  A modern milk
cow will not survive
		if she is not milked: she will get mastitis and will die. So
the farmer will
		have to get out of the shelter and take care of his cows,
and will get for that
		time a much higher radiation dose rate.  That is one
indirect radition problem.
		The next is how is the question how the cow's milk
production is going to depend
		on irradiation (large doses!) and what kind of additional
feed a cow might need
		to help stay as healthy as possible.  I learned quickly that
we have to think a
		little broader, not just about human risk but also about the
risks to domestic
		animals.  Cows are just one example.  And our ignorance
about these issues is
		almost allembracing.  I do not know what happened to my
questions after I
		relinquished command and came to this country.

		Something to think about in the 21st century!

		Best regards

		Fritz

		--

		 " The American Republic will endure until the day Congress
		 discovers that it can bribe the Public with the Public's
money."
		                                       Alexis de Tocqueville
		                                       Democracy in America

		***************************

		Fritz A. Seiler, Ph.D.
		Sigma Five Consulting
		P.O. Box 1709
		Los Lunas, NM 87031, USA
		Tel.    505-866-5193
		Fax.    505-866-5197
		e-mail: faseiler@nmia.com

		***************************


	
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