FW: [OEM] radiation protection for the nuclear industry

["Charp, Paul" <pac4@cdc.gov>]

the following was posted on the occ medicine list --  


> The most important thing to recognize is the fact that radiation standards
> are based on averages to protect the nuclear industry-not workers.  (ICRP
> 27 & 28).  The 5 rem per year was a guess that if no one individual in a
> group of workers was over 5 rem, the average exposure to the group would
> be less than .5 rem.  At .5 rem it was figured that workers would die from
> radiation induced cancer at about the same rate as workers die from
> injuries in non-nuclear work. (It was assumed that nulcear workers would
> only die at work from radiation exposure-nobody at a nuclear plant ever
> fell of a ladder & died right?). This was deemed an "acceptable risk". I
> am always entertained when rich white men who are not exposed, decide what
> an "acceptable risk" is for others who are not allowed to participate in
> the decsion making process.  (See the ACGIH-a tale for another day) We now
> know that average exposures among nuclear workers are above .5 and that .5
> averages cause more deaths than previously believed.  A good first pass
> for a "safe" would be ALARA (as low as reasonably achievable) at .1 (about
> background).
> 
> David Egilman MD, MPH
> Clinical Associate Professor
> Department of Community Medicine
> Brown University Medical School
> 759 Granite Street
> Braintree, Massachusetts 02184
> Phone:  781-848-1950
> Fax:    781-356-4887
	 

Paul Charp, Ph.D.
Senior Health Physicist
CDC/ATSDR
Federal Facilities Assessment Branch
1600 Clifton Rd (E-56)
	Atlanta, Georgia 30333
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