Re: Please respond to Caldicott's letter

["Otto G. Raabe" <ograabe@ucdavis.edu>]

December 11, 1997
Davis, CA

Here is the text of the letter by Michael C. Baker of Los Alamos National
Laboratory published in the Sunday, December 7, issue of the Los Angeles
Times on page M4.

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"Nuclear Power Won't Fix Our 'Greenhouse" (Column Left, Nov. 30) is a fine
example of sensationalistic journalism unsupported by the scientific facts.
When reading Helen Caldicott's writings one must keep in mind that she is
not a radiation scientist who has spent countless hours studying the
effects of radiation on man, but someone who has made a name for herself by
making exaggerated claims regarding nuclear power.

She claims to be concerned about public health but the clean use of nuclear
energy could prevent the thousands of deaths caused by burning fossil fuels
every year in this country alone. She claims the release of cesium,
plutonium, and strontium will cause many painful deaths, but doesn't
explain how these elements would be released. Yes, they are contained in
nuclear fuel, but that is where they remain throughout the lifetime of the
reactor and that is where they remain when the spent fuel is disposed of as
waste.

Even if they were released, would they cause the health effects she claims?
No! All of these elements have been released in substantial quantities into
the atmosphere by nuclear weapons testing, yet we are not all dying of cancer.

MICHAEL C. BAKER PhD
Los Alamos, NM

Copyright Los Angeles Times, December 7, 1997.
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		Prof. Otto G. Raabe, Ph.D., CHP
                [President, Health Physics Society, 1997-1998]
		Institute of Toxicology & Environmental Health (ITEH)
		     (Street address: Old Davis Road)
		University of California, Davis, CA 95616
		Phone: 530-752-7754  FAX: 530-758-6140 [NEW AREA CODE]
		E-mail ograabe@ucdavis.edu