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EPA Makes a Rad Decision
New submitter QuantumPion writes
"The Environmental Protection Agency released draft guidelines last month that could significantly relax radiation hazard standards in the case of a radiological event in the United States by using risk-based decisions. The goal is to have limits that make sense in an emergency that are different from the limits in day-to-day life. From the article: 'Currently, the only guidance are the extremely strict standards that apply for EPA Superfund sites and nuclear plant decommissioning, which are as low as 0.010–0.025 rem/year, far below the natural background levels in the U.S. of 0.300 rem/year, and even well below the average amount of radioactive materials that Americans eat each year. And these guidelines aren’t really different from the 1992 PAG, except in the area of long-term cleanup standards and, perhaps, standards for resettlement. What’s the big deal here? As radworkers, we’re allowed to get 5 rem/year. 2 rem/year doesn’t rate a second thought. ... No one has ever been harmed by 5 rem/year, so setting emergency levels at 2 rem/year is pretty mild and more than reasonable. ... Think of it this way. The situations covered by these new guidelines are similar to someone dying of thirst who has the chance to drink fresh water having 2,000 pCi per gallon of radium in it. While the safe drinking water levels are 20 pCi/gal for Ra, 2,000 pCi/gal is of no threat, especially if you’re going to die from imminent dehydration. Of course, a bag of potato chips has 3,500 picocuries, so go figure.'"
Is there a way to totally filter out users with the little Twitter, Facebook, or G+ badge next to their name? Normally I'm fine just scanning past them, but once in a while I catch a couple words and a little bit of stupid gets in.
No one has ever been harmed by 5 rem/year,
Yes I quoted a bit out of context.
Nevertheless: how do you know that?
Point is: you don't.
After Chernobyl and especially after Fukushima /. (and I guess other media as well) are full of bullshit how harmless radiation is, or how harmless fallout is or how harmless pollution by a certain radioactive element is.
Sorry ... hundred thousands of dead people in the decades AFTER the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and AFTER Chernobyl say something different.
I really don't get what the agenda is behind those more and more upcoming stories about "radiation is overrated, it is harmless" is.
You sit in a radioactive environment: you die. You die awful horrible painful.
So, why would one spread stories, blog comments, /. stories and other news to claim different?
Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.