A question of ethics

[Al Tschaeche <xat@inel.gov>]

So far, of all the responses to my original note on the subject, I have
received one suggestion on how we might begin educating the public about the
risks of low levels of radiation.  The suggestion was thought-provoking.  It
was to REMOVE laws/regulations.  The thought provoked about that suggestion
is as follows:  For whatever reason, many, if not most humans, at least
those in the USA, regard radiation as one of the, if not the, most dangerous
agents on earth.  The government has promulgated regulations (10 CFR 20, 50,
30, etc., etc. and 10 CFR 835) of the most detailed kind intended to protect
workers and the public against the "risks" of radiation.  The question for
today is:  If you, knowing now what we do know about the low level effects
of radiation (or lack thereof), were to be charged with the task of writing
regulations to protect humans against the harm low levels of radiation do,
what would you write?  Should we have a set of regulations to protect
against high doses and another set for low doses?  What should the system of
government regulation for ionizing radiation in the US be?  Imagine there
were no laws or regulations about this subject.  Start fresh, but with
today's knowledge.  Remember, our current system was born in ignorance and
fear.  Suppose we were to start again without the ignorance or fear.  What
would our system of regulation look like?

The NCRP thought about this subject a long time ago.  NCRP 19 "Regulation of
Radiation Exposure by Legislative Means(1955)" suggested no licensing.  But
we have licensing.

Why can't we put the risks of radiation within the context of all risks?
Why do we insist in making the radiation risks much worse than any others?
Yes, I know, many of you can and do try to do that.  But, we are still at an
impasse at Ward Valley, at Yucca Mountain, at Wipp, without new nuclear
power plants, with research using radiation and radionuclides declining,
with universities curtailing nuclear programs, etc., etc.  I lay all of
those things at the feet of how we, the experts in radiation matters, have
permitted the American public to be afraid of radiation.  Never mind that
some of us do try.  The results are still negative.

It really is a matter of ethics.  

Al Tschaeche xat@inel.gov
Al  Tschaeche xat@inel.gov phone: 208-526-3383, fax: 208-526-7291