Public perception

[Joelle Key <jkey@mail.state.tn.us>]

Dear Rad-safe,

I hope this isn't inappropriate but the topic has been on how can we
educate the public about the realities of radiation.  And weather over
regulation gives the public the wrong message (sorry Al I know you
really wanted us to drop this topic).

I think one of the reasons that we have so much difficulty communicating
with the public is that each individual reacts differently.  For example: in
TN we have recently  had a series of articles correlating and thereby
connecting worker illness and childhood disease (not cancer in this
case, it is mostly respiratory and allergy related illnesses) with the Oak
Ridge site.  The initial accusations focused on the TSCA incinerator and
the Governor created a task force to investigate the incinerator.  The task
force concluded that the incinerator had not operated outside of
government regulated safety limits and did not appear to pose a hazard
to the workers or the people living near the site.  They did, however,
recommend that the illnesses be investigated just to be sure that they
were not being caused by something preventable.  This weekend, the
newspaper reported that the CDC's environmental health division is going
to investigate the childhood illnesses.  I thought "This is great we are
going to resolve everybody's questions."

Then I met my father for breakfast, and he said "Well it looks like there
really is a problem in Oak Ridge."  I was surprised by his reaction and
assured him that the investigation was precautionary just to relieve
people's questions.  That is was being done to assure people that there
is not problem, not because there is a problem.  He said he did not think
that the government would waste its money investigating something if
they didn't really think there was a problem.  I tried to reassure him but he
ended up acusing me of being brain washed. 

This is from my own father who paid for my education, who knows how
much my integrity is important to me.  I think he even trusts me most of the
time.  But here we are...  If I can't even reassure one person who
supposedly already trusts me, how can we hope to assure the public at
large?