Re: Montel Williams Show

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

At 04:26 PM 1/12/98 -0600, you wrote:
>January 12, 1998
>Davis, CA
>
>On the Montel Williams Show, 1/9/97, the Long Island father of a young
>cancer victim suffering from rabdomyosarcoma said: "I spoke to a doctor
>from the University of Pittsburgh. He's the world-renowned expert in
>rabdomyosarcoma. He told me the cause was radiation exposure. Low-level
>radiation exposure was the only known cause of this type of cancer." "The
>only thing around us is Brookhaven National Laboratory that is creating
>this radiation."
>
>Does anyone have any idea who this "doctor" is who is described as
>"world-renowned expert in rabdomyosarcoma"?
>
>Thanks...
>
>Otto
>		*****************************************************
>		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
>
===Dear Prof. Otto

	Before making any judgment about the "doctor" it is important to check what
the doctor really said to the father. I have personal and adequate
experience on dealing with public anxiety and fear about radiation. I was
involved in the worst radiological accident in the world,  with a
radioactive source, the radiological accident in Goiania. At that time was
living in Goiania more than one million inhabitant. As General Coordinator,
I also was the  responsible   to talk with all kind of public and media.
One of my lessons learned was:
	Many times you use expression and jargons  that is really difficult to the
public understanding and this,  ignorance and limitation of the population,
expand the emotions beyond the reasonable.

	 In Goiania, for instance, usual public questions were:


* Is fact that the low doses delivered over period of months or years provoke
   risks  of malignant diseases, as leukemia or cancer that may appear years
or decades after exposure.

* 10-6   but not zero?
	
*  What  is exactly   the meaning  of small  quantity, small amount and low
level?	
* I do not understand: Mi what? Bec what? Si what?   Sto....  what... (refer
to mili,  Becquerel, Sievert, Stochastic,  Non-Stochastic and others unusual
words to the  population)

* If   there  are  scientific controversy  about low doses and  high doses
are dangerous, where  are we (the public)  in this context?
=====
How to explain this to the common public, not using a  scientist jargon, but the
people's language?

With best regards,

J. J. Rozental <josrozen@netmedia.net.il>
Israel