Re: Trintiy Site as Positive PR?? -Reply

[Doug Turner <turners@earthlink.net>]

Dan, I've never ben to the Trinity site, but I support their PR effort whole
heartedly. To try and "divorce" peaceful uses of radiation from weapons
history is fruitless.  I participated in the TMI-2 defueling and clean up
effort, and much of the industry resisted some of the technology development
and lessons on claims avoidance because they didn't want to be associated
with " the worst commercial nuclear reactor accident in US history". 

As if the commercial nuclear industry has done such a wonderful job of
educating the public that the benefits of nuclear power and the inherent
safety are accepted so well by the general public today.  My previous
employer shut down the visitors center (which was located in portable
trailers).  Of course many of the utilities don't want to compare the
effluents from nuclear power to coal or gas because they also own those
polluting sources of electrical generation.

I think it is ironic that our radiation exposure limits are based almost
exclusively on Japanese bomb survivor dose reconstruction, and probably the
most publicity nuclear has recieved in decades came from the revision of
BEIER-V which governments used to lower dose limits.  I'm afraid the
commercial industry is already intimately associated with weapons and some
great public television series like the "New Yankee Radiation Worker" with a
credible spokes person will be a lot more positive than disassociation.
Ignorance has always spawned fear.

Doug Turner <turners@earthlink.net>

  At 10:43 AM 9/20/96 -0500, you wrote:
>For those who have never been to Trinity site it is in fact a unique 
>experience.  People come from all over as a pilgrimage and in fact to 
>look for two headed horny toads in the desert.  Some of the more 
>interesting aspects are the older workers from the original Manhattan 
>project that show up each year with fascinating stories to tell.  Trinity 
>Site can be very educational and an effort is put forth very earnestly to 
>educate the public about radiation.  The background radiation at Trinity 
>Site is approximately 10 times normal.  The variety of visitors include 
>science teachers, religious groups on a pilgrimage, protestors, and the 
>everyday person.  To try and educate everybody is very difficult.  Lisa 
>and her boss George Wenz do an excellent job in conjunction with the 
>Public Relations staff at White Sands Missile Range to ensure the public 
>has an enjoyable day.  Any positive input to her request I'm sure is 
>welcome.  
>
>
>
>DAN L. MARX
>HEALTH PHYSICIST
>BAKER COLLEGE
>FLINT MI
>dmarx01@baker.edu
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