I think we have to look for a paradigm shift. We may be closer than you think.
Lots of people threw snowballs at the Berlin Wall for lots of years, but when the paradigm shift came, lots of other people joined in with sledge hammers.
Mark
"DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed are mine and do not necessarily represent Westinghouse Savannah River Co. or the United States Department of Energy."
"Jerry Cohen" <jjcohen@PRODIGY.NET> Sent by: owner-radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu
02/27/03 12:18 PM
Please respond to "Jerry Cohen"
To: "Carol Marcus" <csmarcus@ucla.edu>
cc: <radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu>
Subject: Re: Commenting on USNRC Environmental Impact Statements
Carol,
I appreciate your enthusiasm, but I don't believe you can knock over a brick wall with snowballs, no matter how many you throw. I think that most radsafe professionals like things just the way they are, even though they may believe LNT is nonsense. Actually, the group that would benefit most from overthrow of LNT and its derivative policies would be the general public, the vast majority of whom have been indoctrinated to believe that any radiation exposure is deadly. Attempting to influence EPA or NRC is futile given their sensitivity to public opinion as opposed to scientific information.[I have lots of letters to NRC, most of which were not even acknowledged, and none of which included a cogent response to critical comments].
If progress is to be made, it must be done at a higher level such as the Congress who controls funding of federal agencies. Influencing congress takes lots of $$$$, and political skill, neither of which I see among those of us who advocate rational radiation policies. I haven't completely given up, but I am not optimistic. Truth and virtue may not always win out in the end. Jerry
At 05:28 PM 2/26/03 -0800, Jerry Cohen wrote:
Nice try Milton, but it ain't going to happen.
Jerry Cohen
Dear Radsafers, including Jerry:
Truth can win over an entrenched false paradigm, but it takes many people writing and speaking to many non-professional people (including bureaucrats) over a goodly amount of time. There's an old Chinese proverb that says something like "The start of a long journey begins with the first step." Let's start.
If 100 separate letters come into the NRC against the LNT assumption, and copies of those letters go to the right Congressional people, the Secretaries of Energy, EPA, and Homeland Security, and media---even hopeless media (e.g. National Public Radio)---and this continues for several years, maybe even as much as a decade, we will finally win.
We have actually started. The HPS position was an excellent beginning. The Society of Nuclear Medicine and the American College of Nuclear Medicine unanimously voted to support that statement when it came out. Myron Pollycove, in his 10 years as "Visiting Medical Fellow" at NRC, made "hormesis" a legitimate word; before that, professionals really hesitated to use it publicly. NCRP had a terrible time with Report #136, but as one needs to pass the "LNT Test" to get to be a member of NCRP, it's not surprising that the report limped out supporting LNT. After all, if you are funded by government, and government bureaucrats need LNT to keep their jobs, it is not surprising that NCRP keeps up its funding by continuing to support a defunct assumption. It's shameful, but we need to point this out publicly.
Don't just give up and let the liars win. If there is any nuclear terrorism in the United States, it would be a great disservice to our nation if people were led to believe that they were in mortal peril when in fact their likely doses are immaterial. The government bureaucrats are supporting hysteria. We have to do otherwise.
The Emperor has no clothes. Now, let's say it over and over again, loudly, in large numbers, for the next several years. Let's stop the National Cancer Institute from listing medical x-rays as a carcinogen. Let's stop the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiologic Health from inventing a nonexistent crisis (CT exams) in order to get themselves funding and importance that is undeserved. Every letter counts. It's not just one HPS letter, but 100 or more short letters (or long ones!) from members of HPS, and AAPM, and other radiation professional groups.
We have all the credentials. We should not be bashful, embarassed, or lazy. Let the letters flow. That's how democracy works.