re:RE: Mammography Doses

[JEW1%LRN%DCPP@bangate.pge.com]

Dear Dr. Seigel,

You know, I have considered what my reply to your letter should be. On one 
hand, my gut reaction is to write a "flame"; however, it would probably 
generate nothing but momentary satisfaction for me. It would certainly not 
lead to my objective. So, here is something else:

When a patient asks about radiation dose or other hazard, they are entitled to 
have something more than "trust me, I know more than you do." The reasons are 
two-fold: it decreases outrage and it decreases lawsuits. As you probably 
know, outrage is a real force in this world. It is made worse by industrial 
(non-natural), unknowable, involuntary processes delivered by uncompassionate 
persons to vulnerable populations. Although you perceive (and quite rightly 
IMHO) that the hazard of the treatment or diagnostic procedure is low, the 
outrage of irradiating the breasts or gonads and then refusing to gently and 
briefly educate the person is *ENORMOUS*. 

We hear that the high cost of medicine is due, in part, to the cost of 
malpractice insurance. Perhaps, attitude of the care-giver can effect whether 
or not that lawsuit is brought. I am not in medicine, you tell me. 

As far as educating the public taking time and insurance companies not 
helping, I would think a brocure with doses and risks might help. Maybe the 
big insurance companies would be willing to put such a pamphlet out with our 
help. Maybe not.

We in the nuclear industry have waited a long time to listen to our customers' 
fears about what we do. We are suffering the result of that hesitation. 
Medical radiation may well find itself soon in the same unhappy boat.

In service to Science,
J. Ellsworth Weaver

Rad. Pro Instructor	Diablo Canyon Power Plant
119/2/247		PO Box 56
Avila Beach, California, USA 93424
Phone: (805) 545-3029	Fax (805) 545-3545
email: JEW1@PGE.COM or DrNucleus@AOL.COM
Public key available on request
<Mandatory disclaimer: This correspondence in no way reflects anything of 
Pacific Gas & Electric>