Re: Exposure Benefits

["J. J. Rozental" <josrozen@netmedia.net.il>]

At 02:00 PM 4/10/97 -0500, you wrote:
>>f) Considering the above condition, this will be possible since the new
>>conception of justification is:
>
>>"No practice or source within a practice should be authorized unless the
>>practice produces sufficient benefit to the exposed individuals (not is
>>the case) or to society (this is the case) to offset the radiation harm
>>that it might cause; that is: unless the practice is justified, taking
>>into account social, economic and other RELEVANT FACTORS.  Ref. (ICRP 60,
>>S(18) page 71, BSS (220), PAGE 22)
>
>I would not be so quick to jump to this conclusion.  I have not yet seen
>ALL the data presented here!
>
>I see several RAD SAFERS doing EXACTLY the same as we see many anti-nukes
>doing;  Jumping to conclusions by not adequately weighing the probabilties!
>
>Just as they assert that ANY radiation exposure leads to cancer death the
>messages I have seen here assert that ANY air travel without this invasive
>security leads to hijacking and death by explosion.
>
>Look at the probabilities!
>
>I'd suspect the probability of hijacking to be low and that of death or
>injury by ANY means lower and by explosion much lower.  It would NOT
>suprise me if it were on par with the cancer risk from 3 microREM as
>suggested by LNT.
>
>FREEDOM comes at a price - and historically that price has always been paid
>in the same currency!  - but that is a political aside!
>
>Ted de Castro
>tdc@ehssun.lbl.gov
>University of California Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory
>Bldg 90 Rm 0026B
>Berkeley, CA 94720
>(510) 486-5256
>(510) 486-6939 - FAX
>
>The preceeding message was NOT reviewed by my employer and therefore
>represents MY OPINION ONLY and does not in any way represent the policies
>or opinions of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) or the
>U.S. Department of Energy.


	On the weight of available information about the specific purpose of the
equipment, it is clear for me that there are real or potential benefits to
the society associated with its use, considering the critical group. 

	Decisions on justification of a practice usually derive from considerations
that are much broader that those based on radiation protection alone.
However,  national control system is such that no products producing
ionizing radiation are allowed to be manufactured or distributed unless they
are specifically approved or exempted. Probably in countries as USA the use
can be restricted for the approved practice, however for countries without
or only a little regulatory control infrastructure, the situation can be
different and the practice extrapolated for others' purposes...

J.J. Rozental <josrozen@netmedia.net.il>
Consutant, Radiation Safety & Regulation
for developing countries