Chernobyl and Psychosomatic Illness

[Gary Schroeder <schroede@mail.sep.bnl.gov>]

Keith Welch wrote:

>the "experts" and public health representatives seem to be promoting the idea
>that as a resident of the area, you are living with the prospect that
>"tomorrow I may come down with cancer and die".  [...]  Although I think
> that people should be cautioned about these kinds of activities, there
seems to 
>be no room for a risk-based approach.  

I didn't see the report on 60 Min., but do you think this is reasonable?  I
think you're asking a lot from a population that's LIVING with the realities
of a serious nuclear accident.  This is not a theory to them, it's real.
While we all understand the concept of risk and it's application to
radiation protection, I wonder how many of us would be able to control our
irrational fear when faced with the reality of living in the Ukraine.  

>One last thing, the report did get it's subtle jabs in.  I noted a statement
>by the reporter refering to their rushed tour through parts of the unit 4
>plant.  They stopped by the control room but could not stay long, the
>radiation levels there were still "a thousand times normal".  In my book
>that's about 5-10 mrem/hr.  Why is the public being led to believe that to
>stay in this environment for more than a few minutes is extreeeeemly risky?

Hey, if I didn't know anything about health physics, I'd think "a thousand
times background" was pretty serious, wouldn't you?  I'm not sure that's a
jab or an attempt to mislead; I think it's an honest fear of radiation, the
"silent killer".  While we believe we know what is considered safe and
unsafe, we should be more receptive to people's fear (which is quite real),
and not dismiss those fears simply because they aren't technically
justified.  Asking that everyone comprehend the concept of "risk" probably
isn't realistic.  How much education would that reporter have needed to
fully comprehend what the significance of 10 mR/hr is?  He's unlikely to get
the necessary lecture series before the story goes to press, I think.

I'm not singling Keith out here, but I have noticed a tendency to deride the
uneducated for their lack of understanding.  A deliberate attempt by a news
organization to sensationalize a story is one thing; honest expression of
fear of the unknown is another.  
===============
Gary L. Schroeder
Brookhaven National Laboratory
schroede@mail.sep.bnl.gov