RE: Welcome to California

<<The pure idiocy of the legislation could, I suppose, make consultants drool, as dollar signs dance in their heads (i.e., the never-ending D&D contract - on an hourly basis, with built in semi-annual increases), but if one is actually a health physicist, with any integrity, it should make you vomit instead at the manipulation of the public through the use of scare tactics, with no serious resort whatsoever to actual science or legitimate scientific study. >>

This is definitely a health physicists full-employment bill. Every time property is sold in CA after this it will need a complete survey. Environmental consultants have already been addressing this regarding NORM in their Phase 1 assessments, recommending a survey in Phase 2. Of course they're not qualified to perform the surveys, but some apparently do them anyway. No big deal until the liability issues kick in.

Suppose you as a homeowner decided you wanted a survey of your property today. You call an HP services company and ask them to do the survey for you. They're going to ask you some questions, such as "Why?" (but in more circumspect terms). They'll want to know what they're supposed to be looking for. Don't know? Just a general survey? Okay--for your property size it will cost "x." If you want us to survey your other properties as well, we'll give you a discounted rate based on the total square feet. Hire and train a few techs, and have your health physicist write the report.

Regarding any associated nausea, from this consultant's point of view--no, it's only humorous. Suppose you tell them that they don't need a neutron survey, but they insist. Fine--add it to the bill. Why get worked up about it? It just doesn't matter, and for the techs, it all pays the same. No big deal. It'll just cost more and take longer to sell property now, but look at all the great data you'll have--the whole state will get surveyed--some by helicopter or small airplane (already available in some areas from DOE), other areas by driving over it or walking it down. Of course the EPA will get involved when the surprises are found, and they'll have to decide who's going to pay for remediation, so that could get really nasty for some people who didn't know they could be held liable. But hey--since when did it all have to make sense? The way Dale Carnegie put it, "When dealing with people, let us remember we are not dealing with creatures of logic. We are dealing with creatures of emotion, creatures bristling with prejudices and motivated by pride and vanity."

Jack Earley
Radiological Engineer

-----Original Message-----
From: BLHamrick@aol.com [mailto:BLHamrick@aol.com]
Sent: Saturday, June 01, 2002 7:18 PM
To: wesvanpelt@ATT.NET; Speercl@EARTHLINK.NET; radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu
Subject: Re: Welcome to California

In a message dated 06/01/2002 3:49:17 PM Pacific Daylight Time, wesvanpelt@ATT.NET writes:

By your last sentence, it appears you want to measure the extent of residual contamination that produces a cancer risk of 1 in 1,000,000.

Just keep in mind, everyone, that the legislation actually calls for ZERO radioactivity above background, using the BEST available technology, and NO AVERAGING over any "larger area." If you want to use the alternative limit of 1E-6, you will be required to have permanent deed restrictions of varying complexity attached to your land.

The pure idiocy of the legislation could, I suppose, make consultants drool, as dollar signs dance in their heads (i.e., the never-ending D&D contract - on an hourly basis, with built in semi-annual increases), but if one is actually a health physicist, with any integrity, it should make you vomit instead at the manipulation of the public through the use of scare tactics, with no serious resort whatsoever to actual science or legitimate scientific study.

If anyone's interested, I'll try to find a copy of the original legislative briefing on one of the bills, SB 1623, which is so full of out and out lies that it's almost incomprehensible that anyone could take it seriously. But, people have...legislators have, and lest you think that the legislation is simply too stupid to pass, you have grossly underestimated the arrogance and ignorance of our lawmakers. California is on a collision course toward what is some of the stupidest legislation in history.

Please send your thank you notes to Mr. Daniel Hirsch, Committee to Bridge the Gap, 1637 BUTLER AVE STE 203, LOS ANGELES, CA 90025. You can also thank him for his role in delaying the first meeting of the BEIR VII committee due to his and his cohorts accusations of "bias" in selection of the committee members. You Australians can thank him for his interference in the Lucas Heights reactor project. And, we in the the U.S. can all thank him for distracting the NRC from their real and serious business by his many complaints about nuclear plant security.

Despite the fact that I have never once heard him publicly cop to any actual scientific background or education, he apparently knows better than hundreds of physicists, chemists, and engineers when it comes to radiation physics, and engineering design specs. We might also want to thank him for the lawsuit against the California Department of Health Services, which resulted in the nullification of the License Termination Rule in California, because it was his little Committee, along with some other traditionally anti-nuclear (but apparently pro-nonsense) groups that filed that suit. Oh!! And, let's not forget to thank him for preventing the Ward Valley LLRW site from becoming a reality. Yes, there you are, one little man who has done so much. Makes one wonder if he has a real job, or if he just sits at home dreaming of ways to drum up Hollywood money by scaring the pants off the rich and the ignorant, doesn't it?

Barbara L. Hamrick, speaking solely on behalf of herself