dangerous activities

[Michael Stabin <stabin@npd.ufpe.br>]

> YEAR 2000:  BUG COULD POSE MAJOR PROBLEM -- OP-ED; MORE
>The Year 2000 computer problem could cause a "catastrophe"
>at any of the world's 433 nuclear plants, writes Standing for
>Truth About Radiation Foundation Pres. Helen M. Caldicott in a
>Los Angeles Timesop-ed .

Someone should really warn these reporters about the serious danger they are
in when talking to people such as Caldicott.  Do they realize that during
this entire interview, they were sitting close to a person with perhaps 7
*million* mBq of radioactivity in her body, much of which was K-40, emitting
gamma rays of approximately 1.5 *million* electron volts of energy in every
direction, which were ripping through the air, the body of the interviewer,
the nearby building materials, and often escaping into the outside
environment, where small children could have been present?  Further, this
deadly radiation inside of Caldicott has an incredibly long half-life of 1.3
E 9 years, which means that this woman will remain a hazard for generations
and generations to come?  Something should be done about this, and soon.

The report on childhood leukemia was certainly encouraging, though (tongue
now out of cheek).  Not so much in that it could help or hurt any particular
industry, but that these folks seem pretty confident that there has been a
finding, and that they may have identified an actual mechanism related to
cancer.  Not only that, but that there could be the possibility of remedial
action.  Good news, it would seem.


Michael Stabin, PhD, CHP
Departamento de Energia Nuclear/UFPE
Av. Prof. Luiz Freire, 1000 - Cidade Universitaria
CEP 50740 - 540
Recife - PE
Brazil
Phone 55-81-271-8251 or 8252 or 8253
Fax  55-81-271-8250
E-mail stabin@npd.ufpe.br


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