Re: " Scientists Say Dirty Bomb Would Be a Dud "

[BLHamrick@AOL.COM]

In a message dated 6/12/2004 2:40:25 PM Pacific Standard Time,  

crispy_bird@YAHOO.COM writes:



Do you  think that education about radiation will make

people less fearful?   There will always some who will

have great fears about radiation, no matter  how

educated.  



I still say that education level is not  directly

related to the level of fear.





Actually, I disagree on this point.  As another poster pointed out,  most of 

the information on radiation and radioactive material that the public  

receives derives from anti-nuclear activists, an ill-informed media, and certain  

politicians looking for a cause-du-jour.  There is no balance.  Thus,  with 

respect to spiders and flying, the public has a sufficient amount of  balanced 

information to make an informed personal decision related to these  risks.  Some 

small percentage will still make (potentially) irrational  decisions, solely 

based on an emotional response, but the vast majority will  understand things 

like flying is safer per mile than driving, and that spiders  provide an 

important component of the ecosystem.  

 

The public does not receive the appropriate level of balanced information  

regarding radiation, radioactivity in background, and comparative risk to make  

an informed decision about radiation.  I, personally, believe that this is,  

in part, because the public health agencies at the federal, state and local  

levels have failed their mission, which includes appropriate public  health 

education.  In my experience, agencies have shied away from  addressing the 

public's fear of radiation because it is "politically incorrect"  to contradict the 

politicians advocating stricter and stricter controls.   If the public does 

not start demanding the public health agencies respond to  hysteric claims in 

the media and at legislative hearings, and begin a  proactive campaign to 

educate the public in this regard, this sad situation will  not be corrected, 

because those professionals outside of public service are  automatically deemed to 

be a part of the "evil" nuclear industry, and discounted  before they are heard.

 

Barbara