Re: What to do ? ? ?

["Richard L. Hess" <lists@richardhess.com>]

Ruth, I'll respond a bit tongue in cheek to this, but I do get the point!

And, you all have really made me feel better about all this!


At 10:27 PM 08/12/2002 -0400, RuthWeiner@aol.com wrote:



> However,
>
> today I got to thinking about what unexpected things -- things you have
>
> no control over --could happen to affect your health and well-being, and
>
> that of your family that are much more likely than any health effect from
>
> non-occupational exposure to ionizing radiation.  here is a short,
>
> non-inclusive list list: 
>
>
> 1.  car accidents: the risk is about 10% of being in one, and about
>
> 1 % of its being fatal. 


My wife and I both drive Suburbans--reported to do very well in crash

tests and a friend saw people walk away from one T-boned by a Mack

Truck!


> 2. 
>
> eating undercooked hamburgers at a fast-food takeout


I think everyone has learned--most burgers are now close to incinerated.

I now have a new way of ordering steaks, "as rare as you can safely

make it."  And to think...in years past, I had eaten steak

tartare!


> 3. 
>
> west Nile virus from a mosquito bite  


This is another press scare. The Canadian press is reporting it to be

similar to the flu and nothing to really worry about...and Canada has

LOTS of mosquitos, too! We were just there for a family reunion in

Manitoba and even after aerial spraying (another risk, yes, I've read

"Silent Spring") of the area for the reunion, we were still

pestered by mosquitos and especially flies.


> 4. 
>
> hantavirus from mice 


I try and avoid mice--and their droppings.


> 5. 
>
> Legionnaire's disease from mold in ventilating and air conditioning
>
> systems 


So far, so good. I thought I had it two years ago, but didn't--it turned

out to be walking pneumonia--and I didn't feel much like walking, by the

way (see #7, below).


> 6. 
>
> bicycle accidents (if you bicycle, as I do) 


I don't...but that then begs the question that perhaps I don't exercise

enough which is another risk <sigh>.


> 7. 
>
> respiratory irritation from Southern California smog (note I am not
>
> saying "death" or even "disease" -- I am not
>
> overstating) 


Ugh! Tell me about it! choke-cough. Plans are to retire to some place

with clean air. Cambria comes to mind. See previous message about a house

with reasonable elevation to be reasonably removed from the effects of an

average-sized tsunami.


> 8. 
>
> a household accident: falling off a ladder, slipping in the tub, etc.


I actually stopped putting out outdoor holiday lights after a colleague

broke a leg falling off his roof doing same. I avoid ladders as much as I

can these days. I pay experienced people to do this stuff.


> 9. 
>
> being attacked by an unrestrained dog (my daughter suffered separation of
>
> all ligaments in her left knee from such an accident)


I'm sorry about your daughter. I hope she is doing better now. My wife

survived something like this with nothing more than a few scratches--and

a real scare. My wife took to carrying pepper spray for a long time after

that.


And you didn't mention Lyme disease from the deer who frequent our

backyard or being bitten by a rattlesnake (we have examples of those in

our area, too--of course one came to visit at the same time as my

mother-in-law about ten years ago. She was not impressed.)


I think the difference with radiation is that it's harder to see and it's

the great unknown for most of us--and the media have been playing it up.

Of course, now there is the West Nile virus...and the Golden Gate

Bridge...to occupy the media.


By the way, we did stock up on Doxycyclene (sp?) as well when the anthrax

scares hit....but for years I've taken to carrying a course of general

purpose antibiotics with me on my travels.


I'm trying to stay on the side of being prudent and avoiding being

paranoid. 


Again, many thanks! 


Richard