Educating the Public - need Radsafers help

[Tony Hedges <thedges1@TWCNY.RR.COM>]

Radsafers,

I am teaching an on-line course for RIT titled Man-Made Hazards. The 10-week

course is a science elective for students enrolled in general studies and is a

part of RIT’s Emergency Management Certificate program. My students consist of

college students fresh out of high school, adults returning to complete their

degrees after a number of years and emergency responders (EMT’s, fire fighters

and police) trying to get the certificate. The first six weeks of the course

are spent on the typical chemical hazards that can be found on public highways.

The last three weeks are spent in radiation related topics including the

operation of nuclear power plants. The course has been part of RITs curriculum

for over ten years. It is offered in the Fall and Winter quarter every year.



Here is where I need Radsafer’s help. I would like to give the students the

address to Radsafe and have them subscribe and post any questions they may have

about radiation and nuclear power. They wouldn’t be asking for help with their

homework ;-), but would post to learn more about radiation and its effects. So

why am I asking? I have been a member of Radsafe for a very long time and I

have witnessed some withering responses to questions from laymen on the list.

Including the responses to the anti-nuclear folks.



Want to educate the public? Here is your chance. I usually gain the trust of my

students for my factually responses to their questions about chemical and

radiation related hazards. I try to expose them to as much information as I can

so that they can make an educated decision about the risks. I want to include

Radsafe as part of their reading. I also include several anti-nuclear sites so

they can see both sides of the issue. Norm - if you want to send me your top

picks of web sites, do so and I will include them in their reading material.



Are Radsafers up to answering questions from laymen? From students seeking

knowledge on radiation and the risks associated with its use?



BTW during the class I post events that occur on a daily basis. I post all the

radiation-related events that get posted to the NRCs web site and a number of

fire and chemical events from other sources. We use the events as part of our

discussions on hazardous materials during the ten weeks. The students begin to

notice trends: the large number of stolen, lost or damaged gauges and the

problems that happen at facilities that handle radioactive material. They

frequently comment about the lack of coverage in the media to these types of

events. They begin to realize that nuclear power plant events where a couple of

workers receive a couple mrem is not significant compared to lost radioactive

material or medical misadministrations in the Rem.



Your thoughts?



Tony



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Tony Hedges 

RPT Instructor 

thedges1@twcny.rr.com

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