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improvement



Bill Lipton wrote:
 
>What's really hurting us is those "pronukes" who don't recognize these fears, or  who attempt to ridicule or patronize those with such fears.  They're always quick to scream "media conspiracy," but never seem to look in the mirror at our need for improvement.
 
I think Bill often makes some good points about public trust and worker trust, but I can't agree here. I think we are constantly looking for ways to improve safety and communication. What has been the trend with worker collective dose over the past few decades in the nuke industry? Constant decline. I think some flippant attitudes towards rad safety were uncovered at some DOE facilities in the early 1980's, and the response was strong, some would say too strong (but I would not be one of them). To say that public fears and perceptions of risk are out of proportion is not to ridicule anyone, only to attempt to bring a more balanced perspective. I don't have the money to take an ocean liner cruise, but if I did, I would not be afraid of sailing off the edge of the earth, because I have a proper perspective on that issue. As Ruth pointed out yesterday, some other poor perceptions of the past were corrected by knowledgeable professionals speaking up about it. One can speak up in a derisive way (as is the habit of some on this list, we all know who they are) or in a respectful way, and I agree this needs to be kept in mind. But Bill sometimes you seem to ridicule those who speak up, even respectfully, by claiming that they are ridiculing others, and I suggest that this is not helpful for maintaining a constructive dialogue.
 
Mike
 
 
Michael G. Stabin, PhD, CHP
Assistant Professor of Radiology and Radiological Sciences
Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences
Vanderbilt University
1161 21st Avenue South
Nashville, TN 37232-2675
Phone (615) 343-0068
Fax   (615) 322-3764
e-mail     michael.g.stabin@vanderbilt.edu
internet   www.doseinfo-radar.com