“The immense suffering that the Japanese are enduring in the aftermath of their earthquake and tsunami is now compounded by torment over radiation releases from the Fukushima nuclear plant.
“While the torment is understandable, based on the reported amounts of radiation released, it is uncalled for. The evidence from Japan’s populace — inadvertent guinea pigs in the largest radiation experiment ever, in the aftermath of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 — indicates that fears over radiation can be overblown.
“Those who survived the immediate atomic blasts but were near Ground Zero died at a high rate from excess exposure to radiation. The tens of thousands more distant from Ground Zero, and who received lower exposures to radiation, did not die in droves. To the contrary, and surprisingly, they outlived their counterparts in the general population who received no exposure to radiation from the blasts.
Read more here: http://opinion.financialpost.com/2011/03/21/lawrence-solomon-reactor-victims-will-benefit-studies-show/
by Lawrence Solomon, Financial Post, Tuesday, 22 March 2011
Jennifer Marohasy BSc PhD is a critical thinker with expertise in the scientific method.
Interesting how ideas like radiation hormesis can be around for decades with well documented support and never make it into “polite” society!!
CO2 isn’t even extended the courtesy of being beneficial at small doses; I read James Valentine in the weekend Australian who was snidely denigrating the objection to CO2 being called a pollutant and he suggested such advocates put their head in a paper bag and see how bad CO2 was just from breathing. Of course my immediate thought was he should stick his head in a bucket of non-polluting water and get some first hand experience of how stupid he is.
James Delingpole has a great post on Japan’s nuclear problem.
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesdelingpole/100080636/japan-whatever-happened-to-the-nuclear-meltdown/
Here’s an interesting article on the survivors of the nuclear bombs on Japan.
http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf52.html
It’s amazing how the linear-no threshold assumption rules. I suggest that my grandchildren be allowed to play in the dirt [and eat it if they want to] to get their healthy doses of background contaminants but granpa is raving as usual.