Re: Scientific responsibility

[Steven Dapra <sjd@swcp.com>]

June 19



	It <is> a "Criminal waste of financial resources..."



	Les Aldrich wrote:  "When the average site dose is 17 millirem and we're

told by the oversight government agency that we have to reduce the dose

further because "ALARA says so" (a direct result of worshiping the idol of

LNT), that is a criminal waste of financial resources that could be better

used elsewhere."



	It's a criminal waste because who in his right mind would maintain that

even reducing the average site dose from 17 millirems to <zero> millirems

would make any difference in the health of the exposed person?



	Since the reduction will undoubtedly have no salutary effect on anyone's

physical health, why should the contractor be forced to spend (waste) the

money to reduce the dose?  If you want to get technical about it, it's

fraud.  The contractor is being forced to spend money even though neither

he nor anyone else will gain anything; while nevertheless being told

(falsely) that he (the contractor) will gain something -- better health for

his employees.  



	Bill Lipton likes to say "It's not about dose".  Well, this is not about

safety.  It is about power drunk agencies, and power drunk regulators who

are deliberately forcing companies to throw away millions of dollars to

reduce exposures that are already harmless -- at least they are in this

case with the 17 millirems.



	Note that ALARA also says to make a "reasonable effort".  The exposure

dose could be reduced to zero millirems by shutting down the site and

firing all the employees.  Is this a reasonable effort?  How are you going

to define "reasonable effort"?  Gofmanites and Caldicottians would probably

say this is eminently reasonable.  In the name of making reasonable efforts

shall we buy into their irrational view of radioactivity?  I reiterate --

how are you going to define "reasonable effort"?



Steven Dapra

sjd@swcp.com





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