RE: U.S.: 'Dirty Bomb' Danger Real

["Rick Haaker, CHP, CIH" <radpro@aqsafety.com>]

Radsafers --



In general I see too much national focus on the consequences of terrorism 

and not enough on the risk, which must take into account probability and 

consequences.  Some sort of dirty bomb disaster is likely to occur some 

day, certainly.  Sure there would be fatalities, but not that many, and a 

lot of economic dislocation.  So, reasonable efforts to interdict and 

prevent all forms of terrorism are certainly prudent.



However, and this is important, We are about as likely to die from being 

struck from lightning or a peptic ulcer as from terrorism.  Why aren't we 

seeing the same level of concern and urgency about lightning? Maybe we 

should spend trillions on a crash program to install some sort of 

anti-lightning devices in a tight grid across the country.  We are perhaps 

a 1000 times more likely to die of heart disease than of terrorism.  Why 

aren't we spending a thousand times more government resources to research 

heart diseases than we are spending on terrorism?



I think that our national obsession with terrorism is taking resources away 

from other programs that, on a cost-benefit basis, are far more beneficial 

to society.



rh 





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