Re: Radiological Stress Victims

["Bud Yard" <Bud.Yard@state.tn.us>]

RADSAFERS,



Please consider the context of the previous writer's comments before responding (especially with negative rebuttals). 



My reference was a web site that is a joint USA- Japan venture called the Radiation Effects Research Foundation. 



The citation I referenced is specific to persons affected by the bombs dropped on Japan, the reference has nothing to do with occupational exposure, cosmic exposures, or other normal exposures. They also have nothing to do with spiders, lawyers, or the great conspiracy that some people apparently feel is attacking the radiation industry (by the way I am a part of the radiation industry).



Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, as referenced in my submittal, is in relation to these persons (again- consider the context of the reference I cited) who were directly affected by the two Japanese bombing incidents. 



In this reference and in other contexts, PTSD is not (as was written by a subscriber earlier) "stress induced by the fear of trauma", PTSD is stress as a result of trauma. "Post" means after (after trauma in this case). Specifically in my reference, "post" means after the trauma of being near or affected by a nuclear weapon blast. Stress can be both physical and mental. Stress in not, by definition, exclusively psychological.



The original question was "what is radiation stress". On conducting a web search, this citation was a match and seemed appropriate to answer the question. You will also find that there has been a considerable amount of stress placed on populations that have experienced inadvertent releases of radiation from compromised medical sources.    



For those of us involved in radiological emergency management, we had better understand issues like "radiation stress" as part of our knowledge base, or we will have some serious catching up to do in the event of an attack on our soil. Being unprepared leads to making mistakes, the issues we discuss are very serious. People will count on us to mitigate radiation-related situations if they ever occur in our regions. 



This was not directed at you Barbara, your submittal was simply the last one in the chain so far.



Thanks,



Charles Richard (Bud) Yard Ph.D., M.P.H.





>>> <BLHamrick@AOL.COM> 08/07/02 08:45PM >>>

In a message dated 08/07/2002 8:18:57 AM Pacific Daylight Time, 

Bud.Yard@state.tn.us writes:





> As for the spider thing, if I were exposed (locked in) to a roomful of 

> spiders without my approval and it stressed me out, I would indeed sue the 

> 



If I were forcibly locked in a room against my will, spiders or not, I'd be 

suing for damages from the crimes committed against me, kidnapping and 

assault and battery.  If, on the other hand, I'm a hydrophobic walking down a 

suburban street and someone's sprinklers come on, and get me wet and I freak 

out, the homeowner should not be liable for my irrational fears.  Their 

activity was perfectly legal, socially normal, and not, in fact, physically 

harmful, but for my irrational fear, for which I should be seeking treatment.



I view the "unwilling" exposure to radioactive materials in the same way.  We 

have reasonable, enforceable limits in place, and if a user of radioactive 

materials abides by those limits, and their radioactive effluents, in fact, 

cause no harm, but for one's own irrational fear, then, oh well.



Barbara L. Hamrick



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