Re: 15 or 25 mrem per year?

[BLHamrick@AOL.COM]

In a message dated 2/12/2004 1:20:26 PM Pacific Standard Time, 

jjcohen@PRODIGY.NET writes:

Of course I agree with your assessment of the situation --- and I

suspect the vast majority of radiation safety professionals would also

agree. If this is the case, perhaps someone can explain how such

regulations, that are clearly not in the best public interest, evolve into

public policy. Is something wrong with the system?

First I want to make perfectly clear that today is a holiday for California 

State employees.  I am not at work.  I am not supposed to be at work.  I am at 

home, exercising my right to free speech as a private citizen.



That said, I hate to be a broken record, but this problem all goes back to 

the LNT.  Take this statement from the Public Citizen organization:



"The NRC accepts the validity of the linear, no-threshold (LNT) model of 

human exposure to radioactivity, which holds that "any increase in dose, no matter 

how small, results in an increase in risk" to human health."



Full text at:

http://www.publiccitizen.org/cmep/energy_enviro_nuclear/nuclear_power_plants/r

eactor_safety/articles.cfm?ID=4439



Or, included in any number of environmental organizations' legislative 

analyses, you will find something like this statement:  "There is no safe level of 

exposure to ionizing radiation: we must prevent all unnecessary exposures."



Full text at:



http://www.eany.org/capitolwatch/memos/2002/097.html



Even the EPA has fallen prey to this mythology, though I'm guessing that's 

more a reflection on the large number of non-science policy wonks they hire than 

the quality of the relatively few hard scientists that work for them:



"There is no safe level of radon--any exposure poses some risk of cancer."



Full text at:



http://www.epa.gov/radiation/radionuclides/radon.htm



This is what the public hears and the politicians hear over and over and 

over.  There is "no safe level."  That derives directly from the use and abuse of 

the LNT, and it drives the limits to zero.  If the only "safe" level is zero 

then the difference between 15 and 25 millirem becomes enormous.



Barbara, reminding you that I'm at home, because it's a holiday.