RE: Is it too late?

[BLReider@AOL.COM]

Chris:  



I think you may have stated the essence of the argument when you said:



"The true LNT believers are (should be) in a moral quandary about safety, as long as they believe that, in the last instance, a single photon can kill."



I would add to your argument the fact that, when discussing the risk of low doses of radiation, one also needs to add the non-radiation safety risks associated with reducing the dose to even lower levels. 



i.e., If I build a thicker concrete wall to shield people I have construction injuries to add to the total risk of lowering the dose. 



I would hypothesize that these risks would increase and the total risk line would be parabolic even using LNT arguments.  There may therefore be an optimum low risk point that can be developed.



Has anyone come up with such a total risk model for the LNT arguments?



I have seen many statements that equate the risk of dose to other risks (i.e., the risk of reducing the dose by one rem is equivalent to the traffic risks incurred in driving a mile on the highway sorts of things), but I don't recall ever seeing a total risk curve incorporating today's methods of dose reduction - although I am sure such studies exist.



In closing, I apologize (mostly to myself)for getting swept up in this theoretical and quite passionate discussion.  



Barbara Reider, CHP

Stone & Webster, Inc.

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

You are currently subscribed to the Radsafe mailing list. To unsubscribe,

send an e-mail to Majordomo@list.vanderbilt.edu  Put the text "unsubscribe

radsafe" (no quote marks) in the body of the e-mail, with no subject line. You can view the Radsafe archives at http://www.vanderbilt.edu/radsafe/