[ RadSafe ] Re: YES. we remain our own worse enemy

[RuthWeiner at aol.com]

I read the message below with considerable interest, and had a thought.  
DOE/RW hosts a Transportation External Coordinating  Group that meets periodically 
to discuss spent nuclear fuel transportation.  The group includes state 
representatives, radilroad and highway people, emmergency responders, interested 
citizens, etc.and has very open discussions about radioactive materials 
transportation.  I am a technical resource person for this group.  I think the group 
would appreciate hearing Dr. Brodsky's concern.  I work very closely with the 
organizers of these meetings and would be happy to mention this to them and ask 
if they would be interested, but I don't want to do it without your say-so.

Ruth

In a message dated 2/20/2005 12:57:08 PM Mountain Standard Time, 
Albrodsky at aol.com writes:
George and Sandy. I agree with all you say and more. I put on the last 
"homeland security" course that I will do at New Orleans, hoping that someone 
in the 
profession will recognize that, in the case of emergency or terrorist 
response, any fixed exposure limits -- as have been placed in regulations at 
the 
mR/hour level orginially only for use in management of exposures in peacetime 
-- 
are not appropriate, but are improperly being used to scare responders at 
levels that they could work in for a lifetime in peacetime.  After the first 
two 
H-bomb detonations at CASTLE in 1954, I jumped off a helicopter into 30,000 
mR/hour for 5 minutes to pick up my neutron fission track analysis detectors. 
I 
would do that at least 10 times to save your lives.  This is 1 million times 
the 
intensity that responders are looking at on their so-called "pagers.''  I am 
still trying to get to the Secretary of Homeland Security, so if you have him 
for dinner some night please invite me. (George, maybe you can invite Tom 
Ridge, if he is back in your area; I would still like to talk with him, as my 
Congressman recommended to him over a year ago.)  Get a copy of "Public 
Protection 
from Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Terrorism," from 
www.medicalphysics.org, if you do not already have one and read my chapters, 
and those of others. 
If you can not afford it, I'll buy you one. You are leaders in the profession 
and perhaps you can find ways to turn all of this nonsense around before 
over-regulation and exaggeration of radiation risks in the public mind kills 
millions.  Be well and happy in the meantime, Allen


Ruth F. Weiner, Ph. D.
ruthweiner at aol.com
rfweine at sandia.gov