Re: Letter to Newsweek

[Lew Helgeson <lewhelgeson@helge.com>]

Dr. Cohen,

We have only met a few times - the first time was in 1966 when I first
started my company. I had a contract from the Public Health Service to
measure the body burdens of children in Tampa, Florida, and a Chicago
suburb. But that is not the purpose of this e-mail.

I just wanted to thank you for your excellent work over the years. Your
latest letter to Newsweek is another example of your courage to speak out
on issues that many others in our profession have been too cautious to
comment on subjects such a this one.

By the way, I have been sending copies of your e-mails on subjects where
you, Howard Long, and I feel strongly. Howard has recently joined RadSafe
(at least he told me that was his intention), so I'm not forwarding them
anymore.

Anyway, thanks much.

Lew Helgeson


At 10:38 AM 10/19/99 -0500, you wrote:
>	I sent the following letter to Newsweek to supplement the other
>letters some of you sent about inaccuracies in their article
>
>Date: Tue, 19 Oct 1999 11:00:13 -0400 (EDT)
>From: Bernard L Cohen <blc+@pitt.edu>
>To: Letters@newsweek.com
>Subject: Your article on "The next Chernobyl"
>
>	I am very disappointed by the lack of perspective in your lengthy
>article "The Next Chernobyl". It implies that every exposure to radiation
>is a tragedy, ignoring the fact that all of us are constantly exposed to
>radiation from natural sources, and millions of Americans are exposed to
>more than ten times the national average due to radon gas in their homes
>(Neighbors of Three Mile Island get more exposure from radon in their
>homes every day than they got in total from the 1979 accident you
>discuss).
>	Your article also ignores the dangers of the principal
>alternative to nuclear power, coal burning plants, which are killing many
>thousands of Americans every year with their air pollution, whereas
>U.S. nuclear power power plants have never killed anyone.There is no
>mention of the fact that nuclear power avoids the "Global warming' and
>"Acid rain" problems that are caused primarily by coal burning.
>	Without this kind of perspective, how can your readers really
>understand the situation?
>
>Bernard L. Cohen
>Professor of Physics and of Environmental and Occupational Health
>University of Pittsburgh
>Pittsburgh, PA 15260
>Tel: (412)624-9245
>Fax: (412)624-9163
>e-mail: blc+@pitt.edu
>
>
>
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