Re: June 2002 Health Physics TOC

[Randall_F_Brich@RL.GOV]

> -----Original Message-----

> From: muckerheide [mailto:muckerheide@attbi.com]

> Sent: Monday, April 22, 2002 10:20 PM

> To: BABusby@aol.com; radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu

> Subject: Re: June 2002 Health Physics TOC

>

>

> It would be appropriate to reprint Taylor's 1980 treatise that states that

> "the use of the LNT is an immoral use of our scientific heritage."





Gentlemen:



Having just read this reference [Taylor L.S. "Some Non-scientific Influences

On Radiation Protection Standards and Practice -- The 1980 Sievert Lecture."

Health Physics Vol. 39 (December 1980), pp 851-874.] it is not exactly clear

to me what Dr. Taylor was alluding to with his alleged statement. However,

what is clear to me is that the quote Jim Muckerheide distributed recently

on Radsafe is incorrect. 



The actual quote (p. 860) follows:



"An equally mischievous use of the numbers game is that of calculating the

numbers of people who will die as a result of having been subjected to

diagnostic X-ray procedures.  An example of such calculations are those

based on a literal application of the linear, non-threshold, dose-effect

relationship, treating the concept as a fact rather than a theory.  By this

procedure it has been calculated that up to 30,000 deaths per year result

from X-ray diagnosis and these statements are made to appear very convincing

to the untrained listener.  Of course, there has been no statistical or

other verification of this calculation, but nevertheless the statement is so

often repeated that it gains some credence among those uninformed about the

fallacies involved.  Unfortunately, the technique has been picked up by

others (Go71; Na67*). These are deeply immoral uses of our scientific

knowledge."



______________



*Go71 = Gofman, J.W. and Tamplin A.R., 1971, Poisoned Power--the Case

Against Nuclear Power Plants (Emmaus, PA: Rodale Press)



Na67 = Nader R., 1967, Manmade Environmental Hazards: Styles of Violence and

Modes of Doubt, Radiation Control for Health and Safety Act of 1967,

Committee on Commerce, U.S. Senate S. 2067, p. 219.



____________



randy brich

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