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Low radiation is a public health danger, rather than individual

Individual versus public health risk ABC Science Analysis 31 march 11, “……..The Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) question Gale’s position [on safety of low level radiation] .”His position illustrates very neatly the divergence between individual and public health risk,” says PSR’s Dr Ira Helfand.”The risk to any one individual from drinking water with this much radiation is indeed very low. The problem comes when 40 million people in the Tokyo water district drink the water and get this much radiation.”Helfand says if the risk of cancer from a low dose exposure is 1 in a million, an individual does not need to take any special precautions.”But if 40 million get this dose of radiation then 40 of them are going to get cancer,” he says.”And they may also be getting radiation in the days ahead from increased levels of radiation in the air, and from radiation contamination of food.”Helfand says it is reasonable to assure the public that they don’t need to take individual action if the level of radiation is very low.”But we should not mislead them that the dose is ‘safe’ or ‘no cause for concern’ which is very different,” he says.
No ‘safe’ threshold for radiation: experts › Analysis (ABC Science)

March 31, 2011 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, health