Re: Fear of things Nuclear

[gu9@cosmail1.ctd.ornl.gov (Robert J. Gunter)]

I always try to point out that the "good" thing about radioactive material
is that it is constantly hurling things out so it's easy to find, unlike
chemicals (of course some of the new techniques using fluroescence will
significantly lower chemcal LLD).  This is one of the reasons that people
fear it because it is measurable(!) even at levels of "no significance".
Like measuring K-40 in your body or a salt substitute.  

It's hard to convince people that you _can_ measure something of _no_
significance.  Top that off with the LNT party line and the ability to
assign risk of !!death!!:[] to a dose of 1 aSv (my new symbol for the day).
Perhaps we should go on a diet of isotopically pure K-41 (wouldn't want to
run the risk of K-40 production) to reduce our risk of cancer.

It reminds me of a lecture I head in college about a congressional committee
trying to decide the appropriate pH of effluents from a industrial site.
Wanting to get on to other issues (probably lunch), one of the committee
members supposedly recommended "lets just set the limit to zero and move on".


>I feel a lot more comfortable with radiation than I do with chemicals.  With
>radiation, I pretty much understand how I am exposed and what that exposure
>will do to me.  On the other hand, chemicals have that unknown factor about
>them.  Chemicals can affect us in so many different ways that it is almost
>impossible to predict what an exposure will do to you.  I can measure
>radiation, and I can determine what type of radiation I am exposed to and I
>know how much I have accumulated within my lifetime (occupational exposure).
>With chemicals, I simply have no idea what my exposures are or even how much.
>
>o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
>William R McLain
>wrmclain@nwrain.com
>Tacoma, Washington
>

Std disclaimers apply.

Rob Gunter
Robert J. Gunter
Lockheed Martin Energy Systems, Inc.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
P.O. Box 2008 
Bldg: 105MIT Mail Stop 6494
Oak Ridge, TN 37871-6494
PH:  (615) 576-6317
FAX: (615) 576-8593
email: gu9@cosmail1.ctd.ornl.gov