Re: Linear Hypothesis IS the Cause of Public Fear of Radiat

["Frank "Free Spirit" Borger" <frank@rover.bsd.uchicago.edu>]

> From:          Ronald Morgan <rgmorgan@lanl.gov>
> To:            Multiple recipients of list <radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu>
> Subject:       Re: Linear Hypothesis IS the Cause of Public Fear of Radiation

> At 09:58 AM 10/10/96 -0500, you wrote:
> >Any explanation of "fear of radiation" must look beyond ionizing radiation.
> 
> I disagree.  The fear of radiation exists because of historical hot-button
> images/reporting (some accurate, most not)....

	Some years ago we had a small fire in an instrument  room just across the hall. The 
	power cord on an older monochrometer had a bad spot which eventually got
	hot, igniting the cord and the wooden  bench-top it was  laying on. It was late in
	the evening, , a fire alarm went off, and a security officer arrived and put the 
	fire out with a hand extinguisher. NBD (no big deal) The room and the outside  
	hall had to be repainted, and the carpenters took the bench top off, turned it
	upside down, and screwed it down again to cover the burn.

	It hit the 10 o'clock news big time. 

		 "Fire in radiation lab at Michael Reese Hospital
                                             Fortunately no radiation was released.

	When it comes to dealing with the media, you count yourself lucky if you come 
	in second in a two-person race.

Frank R. Borger - Physicist       ___       "If C gives you enough rope to hang  
Michael Reese - U of Chicago   |___        yourself, C++ gives you enough rope
Center for Radiation Therapy   |   |_) _    to bind and gag the neighborhood,
net: Frank@rover.uchicago.edu     |  \|_)   rig the sails on a small ship, and
ph: 312-791-8075 fa: 791-3697        |_)   still have enough rope to hang your-
                                                                 self from the yardarm.
                                         - The UNIX-Hater's Handbook