SAFE

[Ronald Morgan <rgmorgan@lanl.gov>]

Kristin Erickson said, in part:   "We had our toxicologists look at these
cocktails, and they recommended against using them.  There are chemicals in
them that are not proven to be safe for people, animals or the environment.
As stated with the mercury, many are hazardous or toxic."

Not to put too fine a point on it, but if food and water had to be "proven
to be safe" before we consumed it, we wouldn't be eating anything except
vitamin-fortified cardboard, or drinking anything except filtered water
(bring on that broccoli/coffee/grilled chicken!!!).  One of the many things
that humans CANNOT do at present is to PROVE something to be safe (CAVEAT:
Safe = free of risk).  Asking that something be "proven safe" is the
logical equivalent to asking for a risk-free life.

Soapbox aside, I'm sure (I hope!) Kristin meant that the new LSC coctails
haven't been verified to be NO MORE toxic (i.e. at least as safe) than
their (relatively) benign cousins.             

Nothing perjoritive intended, but imprecise language can come back to
bite...hard.                      ron
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          Ron Morgan <rgmorgan@lanl.gov>
          Operational Health Physics (ESH-1)
          Los Alamos National Laboratory
          MS K-487, Los Alamos New Mexico, 87545
          Phone (505) 665-7843
          Fax   (505) 667-6116
          Voice pager 104-1787

	   mailto:rgmorgan@lanl.gov

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