RE: Security at U.S. Nuclear Labs Called Unacceptable

["Gibbons, Gregory J" <GJGibbon@MAIL.BHI-ERC.COM>]

3.  Hanford - Unfortunately, spent fuel waste IS transporting across the

barren desert

and is approaching the Columbia River, from which it's likely to get into

someone's

hair spray.  In the meantime we spend $$$$ trying to clean up this mess and

don't seem

to be making much progress.



Bill,



Though I understand (and for the most part tend to agree with) the main

point you are trying to make with the remainder of your email message

(clipped to save bandwidth), I do want to ensure that your item #3 (which

hits pretty close to home for me and many others in our profession) is given

the credit due.  Among the many other RECENT remedial action achievements at

the Hanford site:  Successful and complete cocooning of one production

reactor with 3-4 others (of the total 9) soon to follow; demolition and

remediation of reactor support facilities and waste sites; safe relocation

and disposition of millions of tons of radiologically contaminated soil,

concrete and debris; safe relocation and storage of legacy reactor fuel

(AWAY from the Columbia River); plutonium processing facility clean-out, and

the list goes on.  All this (and more) is being done while maintaining

regulatory compliance, ensuring exposures to radworkers and the public are

ALARA, working within budget constraints, maintaining an excellent safety

record, etc. etc. etc.  Do these activities cost $$$$---yes, lots of it;

Will it require time---yes, lots of it; Is there progress being made---YES,

LOTS OF IT.



Now, I realize this may be a small point to make when taken out of the

context of your email message; and I don't know how others in our profession

feel about this; but I believe failing to identify our successes in

radiation protection/safety among ourselves and for a largely

less-knowledgeable public is perhaps one of the more critical deficiencies

that we as rad health professionals need to improve on if we ever expect to

convince the public that we have the ability to do what we say we can do.

Right now, much of the general public focuses on radiological failures and

catastrophes (and that has been helped no doubt by (and with a special

heart-warming thanks to) those faithful anti-nukes, enviroweinies, and

story-starved media we all love so dearly).  Rather than putting most of our

effort into trying to put out fantastic fires those left-fielded (and often

left-winged) folks are more than content to light for us, I think we as

professionals should be putting forth a little more effort to let the public

(and even ourselves) know of our successes.



Just my thoughts---and a few facts.



Greg Gibbons





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