Transcript Risk Communication - Its Time for Us to Become Radiation

Fifty Years of
Radiation Mythology
BWCHPS
th
50 Anniversary
Ray Johnson, MS, PE, FHPS, CHP
VP Training Programs
Dade Moeller & Associates
301-990-6006
[email protected]
MythBusters – Discovery Channel
Jamie Hyneman
Adam Savage
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Outline for Today

What is a Myth?

A few common myths – for fun

A few radiation myths - and answers

The power and resiliency of myths

What can we do?
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What is a Myth?
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A collective opinion, belief, or ideal
that is based on false premises or
is the product of fallacious reasoning
A theme that is felt to express truths about
human life or human nature
A traditional story used to explain some
natural phenomenon,
such as the origin of the sun
Unfortunately, what we consider myths,
others may consider reality
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A few Myths for Fun

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It's hotter in the summertime, because the
earth is closer to the sun
If you go swimming less than an hour after
eating, you will get stomach cramps
and drown
You can get sunburned through a window.
Drinking alcohol -- brandy, for example -will warm you up when you're cold.
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A few Myths for Fun

Mark Twain once said, "The coldest
winter I ever spent was a summer
in San Francisco.”

All cars run better with premium gasoline.

If you fire a bullet into a car's gas tank, the
car will explode

Men have a higher tolerance for alcohol
than women.
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A few Myths for Fun
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It's hotter in the summertime, because the
earth is closer to the sun.
Eating bananas will attract mosquitoes,
while eating garlic will repel them.
You can get sunburned through a window.
Mark Twain once said, "The coldest
winter I ever spent was a summer
in San Francisco.”
Men have a higher tolerance for alcohol
than women.
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Radiation Myths

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“Deadly Radiation”

Media has used these words for over 60 years

Now accepted as basis for understanding radiation

Assumes cause and effect automatically

Analogy with aspirin
Results
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Fears of radiation seem out of proportion to
risks as we would understand them
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“No Safe Level of Radiation”

The only safe level is zero radiation

Predicted by LNT
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Every radioactive atom is harmful

Every atom must be removed

Basis of antinuclear sentiments and
opposition to nuclear technology

Ignores radiation all around us
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NAS BEIR VII - 2005

Current evidence is consistent with the
hypothesis, that at low doses (0 – 10 rem),
there is a linear relationship between dose
and solid cancers in humans.

A threshold is unlikely, although the number
of cancers at low doses will be small

Risk of heritable effects is small compared to
baseline of genetic diseases
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Models for Estimating Risk
10 - 50 rem
Hormesis
Are small doses of radiation beneficial ?
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Interpretation of LNT
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Leads to view - “No Safe Level of Radiation”
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No level without risk
The only safe level is zero
However,
There is no zero
 We are all exposed to radiation all the time
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The debate on low dose effects will go on
because of lack of data
Propose a new message:
“It is actually very difficult to harm
someone with radiation!”
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Questions about LNT
What does zero mean
 Zero health effects starts at 560,000
cancer deaths a year
 Zero radiation starts at 620 mrem in US

 3,000
- 4,000 in Kerala, India
 6,000 - 8,000 in Brazil
 20,000 – 25,000 in northern Iran
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20/20, May 12, 2006 - John Stossel

Myth – “Radiation Will Kill You”
Contrary to predictions of the New York Times,
“Japanese lives will change for centuries, and
genetic defects will occur for the next
1,000 years,”
so far no such damage has appeared.
 Atomic bomb survivors may now be living
longer than normal.
 TMI – average dose was 6.5 mrem, far
below average of 620 mrem / yr (NCRP 160)

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20/20, May 12, 2006 - John Stossel

Myth – “Radiation Will Kill You”
People go to Montana health mines,
because they feel better.
 No one has died from radiation in nuclear power.
Yet media continues to foster that you are going
to be killed by radiation.

Its scare tactics.

Chernobyl – media predictions of
hundreds of thousands of deaths
– not close to truth.

Psychological trauma far worse than radiation
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Chernobyl Deaths ?
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100s of websites say 125 K to 500 K deaths
Where are the bodies?
How many deaths do we know about?
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40 to 54
first responders, plant workers
Some thyroid injuries
Cancer deaths predicted by LNT
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1 cancer for each 1,000 person-rem (100 people x 10 rem)
mrem to 100s of millions of people
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“One Atom of Plutonium”
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Deadliest material known to man
One atom is enough to do you in

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No one has actually died from plutonium
One atom can release one alpha particle
How much damage can one
alpha particle do?
We are breathing alpha emitters all the time

Po-218 and Po-214 from radon in our homes
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“Radon and CT Scans are OK”

Good radiation vs bad radiation
Good – naturally occurring or prescribed by MD
 Bad – everything else
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Do our bodies react according to source?
Radon may be largest source of exposure
Even for radiation workers
 100s to 1,000s of mrem / year

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CT scans may give as much as
1,000 to 2,000 mrem per scan
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“Radiation Will Cause Deformities”
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No one wants children with 3 eyes
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Very unlikely
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Only for extremely high exposures in utero
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“Radiation Will Make You Glow”
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Everyone’s favorite myth

Every HP has a “glow in the dark” story
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Homer Simpson
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Sometimes I think there's no
reason to get out of bed . . .
then I feel wet, and I realize
there is.
A fool and his money are soon
parted. I would pay anyone a
lot of money to explain that to
me.
When will I learn? The
answer to life's problems
aren't at the bottom of a
bottle, they're on TV!
Radiation Safety Academy
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“A Pill Can Protect You
from Radiation”

Yes, but in a very limited way

Potassium iodide may help reduce the
uptake of radioactive iodine by the
thyroid gland.

No “magic pill” to protect from all radiation
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“Granite Counter Tops
are Dangerous”
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Granite may contain measurable uranium,
radium, and decay products
Therefore, it is radioactive (enough said?)
People are reading mR / hr with a pancake GM
Either uncalibrated or calibrated for Cs-137
 Not calibrated for Pb-214 (242, 295, and 352 keV)
or Bi-214 (609 keV)
 90% or more of the signal is due to beta

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Exposure to Radiation

Will make you “radioactive”
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You are at risk if you touch someone who
has been exposed to radiation

Radiation can be spread by touch

Food exposed to radiation becomes
radioactive
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“A Radiation Suit will Protect You”

Anti-contamination clothing is to prevent
pickup of radioactive materials on your
body or other clothing.

No protection for gamma rays

Radiation badges are not
protective badges
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“We do Not Know What to do with
Radioactive Waste”

Radioactive waste will be deadly
for thousands of years

“Since we do not know what to do
with the wastes we should not generate any”
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We have actually known what to do with
radioactive waste for at least 50 years
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Physical Effects of Radiation
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“Dental x-rays cause headaches”
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Reported by one woman
A man reported a “tingle” in his hand
from reaching into a baggage
inspection machine
As far as I know, no one has ever had a
physical experience of radiation

We have all experienced gravity, electricity, etc.
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Radiation for Breast Cancer
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“Radiation therapy is painful”
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“Radiation will cause you to lose your hair”
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“It will cause nausea and vomiting”
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“It will increase your chances of getting
more breast cancer”
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Nuclear Reactor Myths
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“Nuclear power will generate electricity too
cheap to meter”
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“Nuclear reactors won’t blow up,
they will just meltdown”
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China syndrome
TMI – Mary Osborn
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“Cell Phones Cause Brain Tumors”
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They emit radiation, don’t they?
What more do you need to know?
Again, trying to explain the
origin of a brain tumor
Brain tumors have only occurred since the
use of cell phones?
Non-ionizing radiation is not linked
to cancer
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“Radar Guns
Cause Prostate Cancer”
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Another source of radiation, it must be the
answer to explain prostate cancer

Non-ionizing radiation transfers
energy as heat
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No heating effect from radar guns
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“A Little Radiation
May be Good for You”
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Hormesis concept
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Small amounts stimulate a beneficial
response – large amounts are harmful

Is this true for radiation?
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Lots of evidence would say “yes”
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To Fear or Not To Fear
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Radiation workers
choose risks
Trained in radiation
basics / safety
 Usually, low concern
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Public
Untrained
 Learns from media
 Alarm for radiation
 How come ?

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More of Homer
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Radiation Safety Academy
If you want results, press the
red button. The rest are
useless.
I hope I didn't brain my
damage
Operator! Give me the
number for 911
Trying is the first step
towards failure.
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“Is it Safe?”

Primary question for workers
 When

This question is what staff want answered
 Basis

beginning to use radiation
for radiation safety awareness class
Response to concerns hampered by LNT –
risks down to zero dose
 Difficult
to conclude any level
is inherently safe
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Acceptable Risk

Typical levels of occupational exposures
 Well
within tolerable levels of risk
 Especially compared to other everyday risks
So, why can’t we simply tell people –
“It is safe!”
 Question “Is it safe?”

 Either
has no answer
 Or, multiple answers
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Saying, “It is Safe”
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Difficult for many reasons
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First – What does safe mean?
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For many, safe means NO radiation
Second – if we share what we believe is safe
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People can discount our views
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People can disagree
Acceptable answer can only be determined
by individuals
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Rather Than Saying “It is Safe”
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Provide information and evidence
From which people can derive their own
answers of what safe means for them
 Show-and-tell, common radioactive items
 Fiesta ware, lantern mantels, K-40,
depression glass, and vaseline glass
 Compare with radiation sources
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Acceptance of what is safe
Involve feelings and
 Values developed over a lifetime
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For lifetime values
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Everyone is an expert
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Answer to “What is Safe?”
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Everyone has a sense of what is safe
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Safe may be different for each person
Related to views of radiation risks
Images of consequences from radiation
 If you are exposed to radiation, what will happen?
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Before answering the question, consider
other questions, such as
How safe do we need to be?
 What does safe mean?
 How safe is safe?
 Who decides?
 How do we know?

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Answers to Questions on Safety

Can only be answered by each person
 Related
to their concerns
We cannot answer for another person
 We cannot say “It is safe!”

 With
any expectation that
“our answer” will be accepted by others

What can we say?
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Is it Safe?

Workers, families, public want to
know “Is it safe?”
 For
peace of mind
 For making good decisions for safety
 To avoid being afraid
We may not be able to answer directly
 We can be a resource to help people
answer the question for themselves

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Steps from Cause to Effect
1. What are properties of RAM (a, b, g)?
form and quantity?
2. Where is it located?
3. How is it contained?
4. How will it move in the environment?
5. What are the exposure conditions?
6. How much energy is deposited in body?
7. What is the health risk?
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Understanding Radiation Risks
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Everyone is afraid of radiation
at some level
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Information is filtered past
these images
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Fears come from images
Images are barriers
Images control attitudes and
perceptions
People respond to images and
perceptions as their truth
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Public Fears
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Media have fostered mindset that all radiation
is harmful
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Always referred to as “Deadly Radiation”
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Regardless of the amount
Most people are fearful
of radiation
Medical and natural
radiation are OK
Most people cannot recall ever hearing anything
good about radiation

Based on a poll of over 1,500 people
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Basis of Radiation Risk Perceptions
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When did radiation become fearsome?
1945 – Hiroshima / Nagasaki
 1979 – Three Mile Island
 1986 – Chernobyl
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Is there a good basis for radiation fears?
Is radiation deadly?
What is the evidence?
How many people in the US have died from
radiation exposures? Where? When?
How much radiation does it take
to cause effects?
Death?
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Radiation Phobia
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Phobias are irrational and abnormal fears
Prospects of radiation may be enough to
trigger a phobic response
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Even among first responders
Phobic persons have fearful expectations
of extreme consequences
Phobic person’s feelings spiral downward
in response to question of “What if ?”
Actions will be taken to fears of “What if”
rather than “What is.”
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Radiation Phobia
Fears arise from the question,
“What if ..?”
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What if I am exposed to radiation?
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What if I get contaminated?

What if my children are exposed?

What if my property
gets contaminated?
Basis of phobias (fears / images)?
Ask “What’s
so bad about that ?”
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Fear of Radiation
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Psychological effects may be equally, if not
more, damaging than physical health effects
Fear is created by the unconscious mind as a
protective mechanism
Result of linking radiation with emotional trauma
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Real life scare – not likely
Benign event – movies, TV, news – most likely
Powerful negative association, unconscious mind
says this is very dangerous and to avoid
radiation, I will attach terrible feelings to
radiation, to assure that I will be safe
A radiophobia is born
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Sources of Radiation Fears
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Perceptions of radiation risks
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Related to images of
unacceptable consequences
Lack of information

Forces people to rely on
 What
they already know or
believe about radiation
 Use
of imagination
 Worst
case images of disaster
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Common Basis of Radiation Fears
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Fearful images of consequences,
such as cancer and death
Dread and expectations of
catastrophic consequences
No way to know if you have
been exposed
If you know, it may be too late
You do not know what will happen,
but you know it will be bad
Possible effects on children
and future generations
Possible long-term harm to property
and property values
You have no control and there is no escape
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Fears of Radiation
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Loss of control

Sickness

Loss of family
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Sterility and impotence

Deformed children

Developing cancer

Dying
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Basis of Radiation Fears

Inability to see, feel, smell,
or detect by our senses

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Word association of nuclear weapons and
nuclear energy

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Also true for many chemical toxins, mercury,
PCBs, dioxin, asbestos
Radiation was actually cause of few
deaths from bombs
Causes cancer
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Radiation and Fearful Images

Fear of radiation is about images
Radiation does not produce
any sensation
 No one has had an
experience of radiation

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We cannot learn about
radiation by experience
Not like touching a hot pan
 Getting an electrical shock, or
 Falling to the ground
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The Gift of Fear
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Fear is a gift for our
protection
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Worries or anxieties are based on our
memories or imagination
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True fear is part of our
defense mechanism
Worry is not a true fear, but a choice
Many fears are learned
Does anyone have a true fear
of radiation?
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Imagination
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Conflict results when we
assume an imagined
outcome is a sure thing
Proust’s inexorable law:
“Only that which is absent
can be imagined”
What is happening cannot be imagination
When you fear something,

Then it is not happening right now
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Fear
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Summons powerful
predictive forces
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Fear is about what might
happen next
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Tells what might come next
Not what is happening now
If standing near a cliff,
you might fear getting too close
If standing at the edge,
you now fear falling off
If you fall, you now fear landing
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Role of the Media

Scare stories about radiation
sell news and advertising

Radiation is not new or mysterious

TV is for entertainment, not education

Gross over coverage of radiation stories

Media has created mental mind set –

Most everyone now believes
“radiation is deadly”
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Electronic Terrorism
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Language, images, graphics are carefully
chosen to make each story seem urgent,
or significant, or frightening

Viewers are left swimming in pictures of fear

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Without a balanced perspective on the situation
News should focus on what is known

Instead news focuses on what is not known

Builds on speculation, supposition, rumor,
gossip, projection, and conjecture
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TV News
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News networks seem to have a
Frequent Frighteners Club
Which network has the most
anxiety- producing style?
Local news is where fear tactics are tested
Information is hidden behind sensation
 And, that sensation is FEAR
Difficult to calm fears when news is
constantly producing unnecessary
anxiety
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TV May Not Welcome Less Fear
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There Would Be Less Fear of
Radiation, if only …… !

If only - people understood radiation,
the way we do !


If only - people were more rational and logical.

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Do irrational emotions lead to extreme reactions?
If only - people did not have such strange
perceptions of radiation risks ?


Is the answer better education of the public?
People need to deal with “What is” vs “What if”
What is true on this slide ?
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The Experience of Fear
“I’ve experienced a great many
terrible things in my life,
a few of which have actually
happened.”
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Will Rogers
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Two Word Risk Assessment
and Risk Communication

Media avoids complex risk
assessments with only
two words
 “Deadly
radiation”
 Assumes
Cause and Effect
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Radiation Fears - Future
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Is radiation fear based on myths or reality ?
Fear feeds on ignorance
We are most afraid of what we know the
least about
Incomprehensible science is a great
opportunity for fear
What if strong public fear of radiation
were dispelled?
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The Power of Myths

Once a myth is put out there,
Denying it can reinforce its staying power
 Ignoring it does not work either,

An unchallenged claim gains the ring of truth
 Over time “negative tags” fall out of memory

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Conventional response to myths
counter bad information with good
Psychological studies show denials and
clarifications, for all their rational appeal

Paradoxically contribute to resiliency
of popular myths
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Value of Myths
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Myths help to explain the “unexplainable”
In terms that are understandable to most
Simple, direct, make “sense” to layperson
Relates to what has been said before
Sounds credible
Reinforced with pictures, anecdotes
Explains cause-to-effect
Easy to point to blame
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Resiliency of Myths
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Contrary to the notion that people absorb
information in a deliberate manner,
Studies show the brain uses subconscious
“rules of thumb” that can bias in favor
of thinking that false information is true
Studies with MBTI show most people rely
on others to tell them the
meaning of science (abstract thinking)
Media provide the “rules of thumb”
and “the meaning”
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Resiliency of Myths
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Easy to believe people,
who say what we already agree with
Easy to believe hearsay, rumor, gossip
which reiterates what we have always heard
Provides opportunity
to blame others for what goes wrong
Harder to believe those who say otherwise
Especially when they only speak “science”
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Will Truth of Radiation Prevail ?

Technical
approach
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Public
interpretation
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Belief that truth of
technical message
will prevail
Different than expected ?
How come ?
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Answers to Radiation Myths
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What can we do ?
Be skeptical
Do not believe everything we see or hear
Ask lots of questions
Is education and outreach the answer?
Provide tools and evidence for people to
draw their own conclusions
Understanding steps from cause to effect
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Radiation Answers
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HPS.org - Ask the Experts
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Radiationanswers.org
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Over 7,000 answered questions in categories
Section on radiation myths
Ed Hiserordt – “Underexposed”
John Stossel - Myths, Lies, and Downright
Stupidity: Get Out the Shovel - Why
Everything You Know is Wrong
(Paperback - May 1, 2007)
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