Re: Radium article

[BLHamrick@AOL.COM]

In a message dated 9/15/2003 10:58:01 AM Pacific Standard Time, 

liptonw@DTEENERGY.COM writes:

Saying that, since 25-30% of the population gets cancer anyway, what's a few 

more from radiation, is the equivalent of saying that we should not make a 

fuss over someone killed by a drunk driver, since thousands are killed in auto 

accidents, anyway. 

Whoa!!  Whoa!!  Whoa!!!  It is NOTHING like this.  In 2001, there were 36,386 

highway fatalites in the U.S., and 10,864 involved a drunk driver.  That's 

almost 30% of all highway fatalities related to drunk driving.  That is NOT 

trivial, and not ANYTHING like a VERY THEORETICAL additional 0.01% (i.e., one in 

ten thousand) that might get cancer, IF LNT is valid.  With this kind of 

reasoning, we should be lowering the speed limit to 0.5 miles per hour.  Then, we'd 

be safe.



Barbara