No rational reason to fear radiation – Dr. Wade Allison

16 Comments

1. Rod, there is virtually no rational reason for fearing tritium in any likely dose.

2. I’m not buying.

   http://www.merchantsofdoubt.org/

3. @Bob Applebaum

   Thanks for stopping by and helping me to remember that all is right with the world. You’re predictable; I can count on a comment about any LNT related post or one that includes a reference to Dr. Jerry Cuttler or Dr. Wade Allison within minutes.

   If you are not buying my information about the health effects of low level radiation, that is fine by me. There are plenty of other customers out there.

   Just curious – how did Studsvik’s recent sale of US assets affect your net worth?

   http://finance.yahoo.com/news/studsvik-ab-studsvik-sells-main-074000749.html

   Your former company – RACE – made up most of the Memphis-based portion of the assets that were sold.

   http://www.webwire.com/ViewPressRel.asp?aId=12748#.U43DRZStkz0

   Studsvik is acquiring RACE for USD 27,5 million plus transfer of operating credit of USD 8,5 million. The financing of the acquisition has been secured and consists of a combination of own funds and new loans raised in connection with the acquisition. The sellers are the founders, together with the private equity firm Source Capital. The founders will continue to be active in the management of RACE.
   …
   About RACE

   RACE Holdings LLC was founded 1999 and has since then been managed by the founders Gerald Webb, President and Bob Applebaum, Co- Chairman. RACE service offering includes services and logistics. The company owns and operates a special facility on Presidents Island, Memphis, Tennessee where dry and metallic LLW is treated. The facility has a strategic position with convenient access for transportation by road, railroad and water. The company also operates a set of transportation- and logistics services with a high capacity for radwaste components. It also operates its own logistics terminal.

   RACE currently employs a workforce of 120 personell and has a strong client base. Prior to the Studsvik acquisition RACE Holdings LLC was owned by venture capital investor Source Capital and the founders.

   (Emphasis added.)

   It still amuses me that a multimillionaire radiation protection professional spends his time tracking little old Atomic Insights blog posts about the LNT assumption.

4. Are you selling?

5. I had sent a request to CBS and NBC and the New Times websites to review or feedback on Dr. Allison’s comments since they have no problem jumping hoops to interview antinukes. See how long it takes.

   Aside:
   Anyone seen the new futuristic GE commercial with the little girl telling how great a scientist her mom is inventing hyper-jet engines and hyper-efficient trains and — no kidding — UNDERWATER windmills??? Has GE EVER showcased any of their reactors or nuclear business I wonder! How would that be any more outlandish??

   James Greenidge
   Queens NY

6. Bob – it’s probably not a good idea to quote a book if you’ve failed to digest its contents.

   The central point of Oreskes and Conway’s book is that there are “experts”of dubious credentials who engage the media only and not scientific colleagues, who are in the pay of political and industrial concerns, who seek to make the scientific consensus seem controversial or weak in the eyes of the public, regardless of scientific opinion.

   This is not a description that freely applies to any scientist you don’t like. Wade Allison is a qualified author publishing in both the scientific and popular press. That doesn’t make him right, but it does mean that he shouldn’t be subject to the kind of slur you’ve (quite possibly inadvertently) placed upon him.

   But as you’ve brought the topic up, I look at Greenpeace and the various Caldicott satellites, and – with the exception of industry funding (political funding abounds) – one sees the same pattern amongst the anti-nuclear movement as one can find in the climate change denial movement as outlined by Oreskes and Conway in their excellent book. Greenpeace’s main radiation expert is an art restorer by day. What’s that about?

7. Actually there is *some* funding from competing industry.
   Look up ‘Friends of the Earth’ on Wikipedia & then click on the name of the person providing the initial funding to see where his money came from.

8. Thanks. Climate-change deniers and Anti-Nukes are really different sides of the same coin. There are a lot of similarities. Starting with a lack of respect for Science.

9. I think that the “underwater windmills” are (or are supposed to be) tidal hydrokinetic turbines because they are “powered by the Moon” according to the ad.

10. Sam, I like your second paragraph. I think I’ve never seen the phenomenon described that succinctly. I wish I could commit it to memory for future discussions.

11. If the anti-nuke people were anti-tidal turbine, they would claim that such generators were going to cause the moon to crash into the Earth…

12. Does that mean that “moon power” has killed way more people than nuclear power ever has because of tidal waves?

13. Tapping the Tides will slow the moon’s recession from the earth, and will eventually slow the earth’s rotation such that the earth will eventually become tidally locked with the Sun.

    So much for “Sustainability” of tidal turbines.

14. That is very very interesting. Considering that the other FOE founder David Brower split with the Sierra Club over financial issues and the Club agreeing with the siting of Diablo Canyon NPP (Brower was anti-nuke).

    I’m amazed.

15. One way to force people to face their irrational skittish of radiation (and for atomicinsights to draw receive lots of search hits) is having a feature called “Radioactive Grand Central Station”. Anyone ever bring a Geiger counter into the grand hall there (forget the deeper narrower galleries!)? My science class trip did that way back when and hearing the ticks suddenly rattle up when you came in from outside was lots of fun! No getting away from it! I guess Apple’s nice GC store there would be very unhappy if it got out that you take more than a few zaps of beta rays while checking out iPhones! Heck, Apple; I wonder if the MTA and GC businesses would be angry at losing frightened customers! Yea, I like this! Hard love getting people to accept radiation!

    James Greenidge
    Queens NY

16. @James Greenidge

    If you film it, I will post it.

Comments are closed.