Re: nuclear power / environmentalists

[High Plains Drifter <ddchaney@castles.com>]

This touchy-feelie stuff has got me steaming.........

Bob, sorry about this - but you need to get your head out of
the sand!  A close look at the recent Alar apple scare,
poultry irradiation acceptance, and commercial nuclear power
industry decline shows that your theory is not the correct
one or the one that will help society the greatest.  An
idiotic statement of doom and the idiot that offers such,
should be exposed as such and no less.  I have noticed that
the hysterical yelling prophets of doom gather more
attention in the news media and actions by the politicians
than our well put  and solidly based scientific positions.
How many people are you willing to see die (physically and
financially) based on false information and lack of a strong
and active action by the experts or their associations.

Yes, we could passively sit by and proffer sound scientific
thoughts and proofs till the "cows come home" but we have a
finite life time to get them going along the right path.
Are we willing to standby while ignorance prevents the wide
spread acceptance of irradiated meat and poultry.  Organized
ignorance must be combated at the root level (pseudo
scientists of the Sierra Club, Earth First, Green Peace,
Nuclear Defense Council, Mothers Against....,etc).  We
should be attacking their bad science and previous mistakes
as they do ours, and as often as possible.  We should join
our local anti-organizations and combat ignorance when it is
put forth using laymen level expertise and documentation.
It should be a snap since most of the so called
environmental scientists/activists have very little
scientific standing (credentials), expertise or training in
the causes they champion.  We will not win sitting in your
office and spewing scientific facts that are dismissed
because you are a government employee or associated with the
government or nuclear industry - we must proffer good
scientific facts to the anti's at their meetings and in the
news media.

I know it is hard to find time to combat the anti's when we
probably have a full plate on our table doing our own daily
work.  But, you must admit that the Health Physics Society
and its members will never be seen as true activists -
willing to scream and shout to get their point across.

Since I am a regulator for the government, I cannot express
to the public either an anti- nor pro-nuclear nuclear
position.  However, I can offer scientific facts about
nuclear activities, risk, and endeavor to ensure that when
nuclear material related activities are conducted, that they
are conducted in an acceptably safe manner and in agreement
with Federal Regulations, and that the risk from those
activities are within the bounds of other accepted
commercial activities.

I plan on sending factual information (when gathered and put
in a easily readable short essay) on meat and poultry
irradiation to all the major food markets, and expressing my
opinion that if they do not support procurement and the
stocking of irradiated products, they must bear some
responsibility for endangering the health of their
customers.  Each of the major food marketing chains have
nutritional scientists on their staffs and I assume that
they know the truth about irradiated food products.  Then
why are irradiated food products more prevalent?  I sense
that the scientific staff is caving in to their management's
fear of a loss of customer base - which is being spread by
the company's Marketing Division.

So, with all this said, I await your slings and arrows.
Which would be better used if aimed those expounding  false
science and predictions of doom.  We are wasting our time
confronting each other on which fine line to take.  Action
is called for and needed outside of this newsgroup.

Dean Chaney, CHP
ddchaney@castles.com

These ramblings (boy, are they ever so) are my own and do
not constitute any NRC policy or
thinking along those lines.....