[ExI] How dangerous is radiation?

[spike]

>… On Behalf Of Anders Sandberg
>…Subject: Re: [ExI] How dangerous is radiation?

 

 

>…Linear no threshold models are practical because they are simple: just try to minimize the stuff, assume large reductions are better than small reductions. But yes, people are too scared of anything with any radiation…Anders Sandberg

 

 

Ja, Anders, people worry too much about radiation and not enough about some really plausible threats.  

 

Example: my parents had cows.  The neighbor to the west had a plum orchard.  Eriophyrid mite infestation, he panicked, sprayed parathion and methidathion when the conditions weren’t right for it; for starters it was too breezy and the wind was coming west to east that day.  Never mind that spraying that stuff under those conditions was illegal, it happened.  We could smell the parathion, so we got outta Dodge that day, but the cows didn’t.  So we had a known carcinogen which was introduced into the food chain.  

 

Our solution was to get out of the cow biz, and good riddance to the mooey bastards, but you know that kind of thing is common in farm country.  Profit margins are razor thin, and farmers use what they know works.  You know they stretch the rules or ignore them outright.

 

spike  

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