Re: India Uses Radiation to Cure Flatulence- Anti Nuke Hyprocrisy

[SAFarberMSPH@CS.COM]

Hi Norm:


If it seems like I'm unjustly criticizing you over a flip comment, you must understand my concern. My point is just to highlight that when anti-nuclear phobic fears seek to block high-benefit/low-risk applications of radiation technologies [such as irradiating bean products in India to feed hungry people] the hypocrisy of antinuclear opposition is clearly evident. 


Many antinuclear groups like to claim to be protecting public health while their actions end up resulting in excess morbidity and mortality when risker alternative technologies are employed, or actions are not taken which need to be taken for the greater good.


The pro and anti nuclear technologies "debate" isn't just an academic exercise. Real people die or are malnourished when food fails to reach hungry people in the third world [whether from spoilage or avoidance of bean products to a degree because of flatulence concerns]. 


Similarly, if  millions of barrels a day of extra oil is imported to fuel American SUVs rather than millions of electric cars being potentially powered by nuclear generated electricity in the US, excess US demand ensures that oil is not available at an affordable price in the third world to make fertilizer or drive tractors to grow essential foods to feed needy people and prevent starvation. Antinuclear activists have and will doom millions of real people [not theoretical "deaths" 10,000 years in the future from Yucca Mountain effluents based on LNT theory] to death by starvation as has occurred in the 1980s and 1990s in Africa due to third world oil need/price/availability driven by excess US demand for oil.


Phobic fears and antinuclear hysteria has a price and the impact on public health and safety of radiation phobia far, far exceeds the claimed or maximum impact of the radiation technologies being opposed on dogmatic grounds.


Stewart Farber, MS Public Health

Consulting Scientist

[203] 367-0791

email: SAFarberMSPH@cs.com



In a message dated 3/28/02 7:48:45 PM Pacific Standard Time, ncohen12@comcast.net writes:



> Hi Stew,
>
> You can't let anything I write go by without a comment...geez. Now you
>
> are forcing me to start a new group, the slogan:
>
> "green beans not glowing beans".  ;-)
>
>
> norm
>
>
> SAFarberMSPH@cs.com wrote:
>
>
> > Dear Norm:
>
> >
>
> > A country like India is concerned with getting a livable amount of
>
> > high quality, low-cost protein to its 1,000,000,000 people.
>
> > Bean/Legume products can play a vital role in feeding starving people
>
> > and preventing malnutrition and reducing avoidable death. However,
>
> > flatulence is an issue in gaining more widespread consumption of these
>
> > products.