Re: Risks and their avoidance

[Stewart Farber <farbersa@optonline.net>]

Hi Bob & all:

To keep things in proper perspective, we must all keep clear the point that while 

in the US the approximate average mortality from cancer is one in six, if the LNT 

hypothesis is true than as a very maximum upper boundary 3% of overall cancer 

mortality would be due to all sources of ionizing radiation exposure. Thus the 

overall [Maximum] cancer mortality due to ionizing radiation exposure of the US 

public in all its components [background, medical diagnosis/treatment, residual 

bomb test fallout, nuclear power, etc.] would be  (0.03)*(0.16) = 0.0048 or one 

out of about 200 cancer deaths as an upper estimate due to all sources of 

radiation exposure.



Stewart Farber

==============

5/20/03 11:50:22 AM, BobCherry@AOL.COM wrote:

>  While teaching physics at West Point in the eighties, I provided a course-

>  wide lecture on the biological effects of radiation. In leading to the

>  discussion of LNT, I mentioned that we all have about a one in six chance of

>  dying of cancer. However, that shouldn't be alarming because we also have a

>  five in six chance of dying of something else. The cadets seemed surprised

>  at facing mortality in such cold terms, but it helped put radiation risks in

>  perspective.

>

>  Bob

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