Re[2]: Kerala Downs Syndrome

[sandy_perle@email.fpl.com]

     I will agree with you that it is the "fear" of the unknown that will 
     keep the limits as they are. I happen to believe that the current 
     programs in place are adequate to protect the health and safety of the 
     public as well as the radiation work force. As far as the nuclear 
     plant operators, in this country, I will take exception to your 
     comments. Three Mile Island incident occurred in March 1979, almost 17 
     years ago. Much has been improved in the areas of equipment 
     reliability and training as lessons learned were implemented. The 
     nuclear power industry has still proven itself to be one of the safest 
     industries. I'd rather live and work around a nuclear power plant than 
     to live across town from a chemical plant any day. As a matter of 
     fact, I'd rather live on a plant site all the time than to drive to 
     and from work using I-95. It's a matter of "perceived risk" rather 
     than actual risk. 
     
     Nuclear power plants are one of the most regulated industries in this 
     country. This has focused our attention on improving what we do and 
     how we do it to ensure that safety is our most important job. How many 
     other industries, nuclear or not can boast that kind of statement?
     
     
     Sandy Perle
     Supervisor Health Physics
     Florida Power and Light Company
     Nuclear Division
     
     (407) 694-4219 Office
     (407) 694-3706 Fax
     
     sandy_perle@email.fpl.com 

     see my Home Page at http://www.lookup.com/Homepages/54398/home.html?   




______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Re: Kerala Downs Syndrome
Author:  radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu at Internet-Mail
Date:    10/27/95 12:50 PM


Do you normally reply to an honest question in this way?  This is science in
your terms?  God alone knows what you 
make of the complex stats concerning the perception of risk by ordinary people. 
I presume you merely consider them 
irrelevant.  If you seriously think that any politician will risk re-election in
the face of near unanimous fear of radiation 
(whether valid or not) then you need your head examined.  There are a lot of
serious REAL points simply being 
ignored in this "discussion".  I am simply trying to get some sense out of it. 
We will not see any rise in the permitted 
level of radiation limits come what may.  This is due to fear of the unknown. 
Radiation will always be the unknown to 
the vast majority.  Remember we fear the unknown too.  We will all have our
areas we don't know about that we 
overestimate out of all proportion the risks and which we will not listen to
anyone telling us different. 

What worries me most in the radiation world is the nuclear plant operators. 
We've got two brilliant examples of what 
happens when they "ride for the brand" instead of following the rules (Three
Mile Island and Chernobyl).  Nobody has 
yet convinced me that some arrogant twit will not "know better" than those who
wrote the rules.  The arrogance with 
which this "discussion" has been carried out does not incline me to hope.

David Walland

By the way from my degree in Health and Safety, psychology, sociology and
behaviour of organisations have proved 
to be of the most enduring use to me over the years.