Nuclear Laundry

["Erik F. Shores" <eshores@lanl.gov>]

Radsafers,

I would like to point out an interesting article in the July 1999 issue of
"Nuclear News" documenting the recent history of the Interstate Nuclear
Services (INS) radiological laundry and the Santa Fe, NM City Council.  INS
operated a nuclear laundry facility that washed protective clothing from
facilities such as Los Alamos National Laboratory.  Eventually, the Santa
Fe City Council formulated and passed a discriminatory wastewater ordinance
that essentially intended to put INS out of business within Santa Fe.
Meanwhile, a local Santa Fe prep school, as part of a school project,
performed radiation surveys and collected soil samples to find out whether
widely publicized claims and counterclaims regarding contamination levels
were true.  Their subsequent interaction with local anti-nuclear activists
makes for interesting reading!

	As the article states, "the city of Santa Fe is being sued in federal
court by INS for, among other things, pre-empting state and federal
authority to regulate radionuclides".  This article is not only well
written, but clearly shows how public perception is often swayed by
publicity. To cite an example, a letter published in a local newspaper
referring to the science teacher in charge of the school project stated,
"We need science teachers who will promote objective study and truth
seeking, not blind obedience to the nuclear priesthood." I recommend the
article.

Best Regards,
erik 
________________________________________
Erik F. Shores
Los Alamos National Laboratory
ESH-12, Radiological Engineering Team
Mailto:eshores@lanl.gov
505.665.7643 (phone)
505.667.9726 (facsimile) 
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