AW: Hanford Site cleanup standards [corrected and re-posted]

["Franz Schoenhofer" <franz.schoenhofer@CHELLO.AT>]

-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----

Von: owner-radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu

[mailto:owner-radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu]Im Auftrag von

RuthWeiner@AOL.COM

Gesendet: Donnerstag, 28. August 2003 19:35

An: "Dukelow, James S Jr"; Doug Aitken; William V Lipton; "Conklin, Al";

riskanal@lyris.pnl.gov

Cc: BLHamrick@AOL.COM; radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu

Betreff: RE: Hanford Site cleanup standards [corrected and re-posted]





This comment makes an excellent point that is buttressed by some

peer-reviewed publication.  Some years ago, a paper in RISK ANALYSIS

compared the risks of cleaning up a hazardous waste site with cleaning up a

site that had waste, but not significant amounts of hazardous waste.  The

dominant risk by far was the risk of operating and working with heavy

construction equipment, and excess risk from the hazardous chemicals was

negligible.



The risk to workers was also raised (by me) when I served on the Hanford

Citizens' Forum, and it was quite obvious then that several people on that

committee, including a person later elected to Congress, considered workers

expendable ("well, they choose to do this work...").  These committee

members actually proposed digging up the Hanford single-shell tanks and

moving them (they didn't say where to). I guess this is why I react so

negatively to the bleeding heart  "stakeholders"; the very same people who

agonize over the potential harm done by exposure to millirems dismiss

occupational hazards out of hand.



Dear Ruth,



Thanks for your - at least qualitative - comparison of "clean up" and

"hazardous waste clean up", which backs my own experience. It is also in

line with comparisons of deaths and injuries associated with different

energy production, both direct by accidents and indirect by the impact of

emissions. Unfortunately the deaths of Chernobyl (which could be

avoided!!!!!) count much more for our developed countries' population than

the deaths from coal mine fires, shaft collapses and mining, which occur not

only in the underdeveloped countries. Not to talk about car accidents etc. -

Now I almost hear the choir of certain groups, that it is immoral to count

death bodies and to compare them.



Regarding the person who was elected for congress: What do you expect from

politicians? They promise to a million of people, that they will remove the

hazardous waste, which threatens their live and they gain a million of votes

and they are finally elected. Why should they bother for the votes of the 20

scientists, who know, that this promise is nonsense, causes probably

negative health effects for a few dozens of workers - and finally the

promise is not even kept and the hazardous waste remains, where it is.



This is politics - whether we like it or not. And it is the same all over

the world. I assure you, that this not only the case in the USA.



Best regards,



Franz







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