How Dangerous is Ionizing Radiation?
Posted by Myla Reson on May 28, 1999 at 15:59:08:In Reply to: How safe is Santa Fe? posted by Donna Roberts on May 24, 1999 at 10:44:00:
Hi Donna - If we take the work of John Goffman and Rosalie Bertelle seriously than we must come to terms with the fact that New Mexico is grossly contaminated with radioactivity. Some places are worse than others. I know that I used to think that prevailing winds did not blow from LANL to Santa Fe. The "Dome Fire" helped me understand that those of us who live in Santa Fe definately are downwind from the nuclear bomb factory on the hill. A thick brown cloud blanketed Santa Fe as the fire raged out of control for days.
Those who warn us about the health affects of ioniozing radiation say that even if cancer is not contracted the aging process is accelerated. The young are among the most vulnerable in our population.
Even if WIPP shuts down tomorrow, there are close to 1000 shipments of radioactive materials passing through our community on an annual basis.
The WIPP shipments double the danger. The question is not "how safe?" rather "how much danger are we in?"