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- Xref: sparky misc.consumers:15734 sci.environment:10905 talk.environment:3422
- Newsgroups: misc.consumers,sci.environment,talk.environment
- Path: sparky!uunet!paladin.american.edu!darwin.sura.net!rsg1.er.usgs.gov!ornl!ORNL.GOV!de5
- From: de5@ORNL.GOV (Dave Sill)
- Subject: Re: Radioactivity and Superstition; was: Re: Are Your Light Bulbs Radioactive?
- Message-ID: <1992Aug27.125633.3757@ornl.gov>
- Sender: usenet@ornl.gov (News poster)
- Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab, Oak Ridge, TN
- References: <1992Aug26.192043.24001@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU> <1992Aug26.195524.25813@athena.cs.uga.edu> <l9ns6oINNmol@utkcs2.cs.utk.edu> <1992Aug26.230055.28405@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU>
- Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1992 12:56:33 GMT
- Lines: 22
-
- In article <1992Aug26.230055.28405@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU>, crb7q@kelvin.seas.Virginia.EDU (Cameron Randale Bass) writes:
- >Dave Sill wrote:
- >>They *are* different. You can't see, smell, taste, hear, or feel
- >>radioactivity. This isn't true of most physical phenomena people deal with,
- >>including chemicals and electricity. It's hardly surprising that it's treated
- >>differently.
- >
- > No different than toadstools as far as injestion goes. In fact,
- > some of *them* taste pretty good. This issue is only treated differently
- > because of blind hysteria rather than an evaluation of the true risks.
-
- Some chemical threats exhibit some of the properties of nuclear threats. That
- doesn't mean the two should be treated with the same level of caution. The
- "blind hysteria" you refer to stems from a lack information, understanding, and
- experience with nuclear processes compared to the more tradtional threats of
- electrical, mechanical, biological, and chemical processes. Responding
- hysterically won't help. I suggest calm, polite presentation of the facts.
-
- --
- Dave Sill (de5@ornl.gov) For every Bill Joy there is a Kirk McKusick.
- Martin Marietta Energy Systems For every Bill Gates there is a Richard
- Workstation Support Stallman. --Paul Graham
-