fear

[Ruth Sponsler <jk5554@YAHOO.COM>]

The shame of all of this is that this fear could be

completely eliminated (except for really terrible

scenarios) by communicating facts in a rational

fashion rather than using scare tactics.  When scare

tactics involving a lot of extrapolation are used,

people get lost in a set of numbers that have little

scientific justification.  This is like getting a $1

bill confused with a $100.  



Often, a little bit of simple arithmetic is necessary.



One sort of has to 'think with numbers.'  Fortunately,

the math is grade-school level and should be

explainable to just about everybody.  



People need to be educated that radiation is something

that exists in nature at levels of numerous chest

x-rays/year.  [If a chest x-ray is 3 mrem and natural

background is 360 mrem/year, that makes 120 chest

x-rays a year].  Dr. Cameron's 'BERT' (background

equivalent) is really useful.  1 BERT = 360 mrem for

the U.S. average including radon.  1 BERT = 120 chest

x-rays.



The fear at Three Mile Island was completely

unjustified (way less than 1 BERT; if I remember

correctly, less than 1 chest x-ray), as was

evacuations of areas below 1 BERT at Chernobyl.  The

evacuations of areas 2-12 BERT are really debatable,

as that involves the current occupational dose range. 

[Assume that 1 BERT = 360 mrem.  12 BERT = 4,320 mrem,

less than the legal occupational limit but close to

common administrative limits at facilities].   



Humor maybe is not justified here, but I can't help

but think of calling 4,500 or 5,000 mrem/year an

"Ernie."  (Sesame Street).  



So, we have three units to explain things with:



- a chest x-ray (3 mrem)

- a BERT (360 mrem/y)

- an occupatinal amount (an "Ernie" or maybe a

"Homer"?)  - 5,000 mrem/y or perhaps 4,500 mrem/y to

reflect administrative limits.  OK, I realize most

people wouldn't call this by a silly name like "Ernie"

or, worse, "Homer."  :-) 



If people can understand pennies, nickels, dimes,

dollars, fives, tens, twenties, fifties and 'large,'

then I think that they can understand chest x-rays and

BERTs.    



~Ruth 2 aka Ruth Sponsler 





--- "Jacobus, John (OD/ORS)" <jacobusj@ors.od.nih.gov>

wrote:



> Fear is like pain.  It is subjective.  And the

> question is how much does

> interfere with your life.  If fear of radiation is

> severely interfering with

> your life, then the condition should be recognized

> as a medical disease and

> be treated.  If you respond to a poll and say the

> you are afraid of

> radiation, that is something else.  For the people

> around Chernobyl, there

> may be a lot of problems from which the people

> suffer.  Poverty, alcoholism,

> malnutrition, unemployment, and maybe even post

> traumatic stress associated

> with the accident.  They should be given the support

> they need to move on

> with their lives.  No matter what the problem, if

> they get support they may

> get better.

> 

> And you are quite right.  I think that most of the

> people around TMI do not

> suffer the same anguish.  I do not think they

> suffered the same trauma.

> Again, I think they fear radiation and TMI when they

> are asked about it.

> Ted Rockwell alluded to this phenomenon. 

> Unfortunately, I think some in

> this country look for things to worry about.  Look

> at all of the

> pharmaceutical advertisements on television.

> 

> Again, get a grid on it!

> 

> -- John 





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