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RE: precautionary principle
John,
You have found the kernel of reality that evades much of the discussion on
this list. At the very best, radiation protection standards will be
science-informed public policy decisions (recall that oft-forgotten part of
the definition of ALARA ...socioeconomic and other factors taken into
account..."). If we could regulate society on the basis of purely
scientific risk, we would outlaw tobacco, alcohol, gas-guzzling SUVs, and
trans-fatty acids outright, establish mandatory physical fitness and a whole
bunch of other things that would cause a societal revolt. Ultimately, many
of these decisions come down to value judgments, like it or not, and it's
easy to put a high price on something when you don't have to pay the bill
(at least directly).
George J. Vargo, Ph.D., CHP
Senior Scientist
MJW Corporation
http://www.mjwcorp.com
610-925-3377
610-925-5545 (fax)
vargo@physicist.net
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu
[mailto:owner-radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu] On Behalf Of John Jacobus
Sent: Saturday, August 16, 2003 8:43 PM
To: Jerry Cohen; John Jacobus; radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu
Subject: Re: precautionary principle
Jerry,
You probably misunderstood my comments. Apparenty
this individual has never had to deal with the many
faceted aspects of scienctific research. There are
many groups that believe they are know what is best
for society, be they scientist, environments, pro-LNt, anti-LNT, etc.
Scientific principles work well in the laboratory, but in the society,
scientific "truth" have to compete with the viewpoints of others. As I have
said before, the laws are what govern our regulations. You should certainly
contact your representatives about your concerns, since they can the laws
you want.
I certainly believe that research should continue. It
is up to organizations like NCRP, BEIR, etc., to
review the various results and try an present a
reasonable view of what the data suggests. As you
pointed out in a previous post, in some cases we may
not be able to know, at least, all of the aspects of
low level radiation. By we need to continue the
search. After all ". . a man's reach should exceed
his grasp, Or what's a heaven for?"
--- Jerry Cohen <jjcohen@PRODIGY.NET> wrote:
> John,
> Maybe you are correct. Scientists may be wasting
> a lot of
> time in laboratories, data analysis, technical
> literature review,
> and similar frivolities when they should be out
> taking public
> opinion surveys to learn the way things really are.
>
> BEIR uses this approach in seeking input from
> public
> interest group to determine of low-dose radiation
> effects.
> Jerry
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: John Jacobus <crispy_bird@YAHOO.COM>
> To: Jerry Cohen <jjcohen@PRODIGY.NET>; <radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu>
> Sent: Friday, August 15, 2003 1:44 PM
> Subject: Re: precautionary principle
>
>
> > And who is S. Fred Singer? Has he heard that
> science
> > does not work in a vacuum, but is also responsive
> to
> > the forces of society (the public) and politics?
> >
> > --- Jerry Cohen <jjcohen@PRODIGY.NET> wrote:
> > > some words of wisdom from S. Fred Singer:
> > >
> > > "Public-health officials and media alike prefer
> to
> > > err on the side of
> > > sounding the alarm when faced with ambiguous
> risks,
> > > but this "precautionary
> > > principle" does more to protect them - ensuring
> that
> > > they get attention and
> > > that they can't be accused of complacency in the
> > > face of danger - than to
> > > protect a vulnerable and bewildered public. What
> the
> > > public truly needs is
> > > a responsible, balanced view of scientific
> research.
> > > If the public health
> > > community continues to let out cries that are
> not
> > > rooted in scientific
> > > principles, there may come a day when a real
> crisis
> > > arises and they find
> > > that no one is listening."
. . .
=====
-- John
John Jacobus, MS
Certified Health Physicist
e-mail: crispy_bird@yahoo.com
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