Even Low-Level Radioactivity Is Damaging, Scientists Conclude (cross-post from LBN)

[PamW]

9. Think about Vaccines!!

FogerRox,

Think about vaccines. Do all humans respond 100% exactly the same to a vaccine as all others?

NO - in fact some people have allergic reactions to some vaccines.

Does that mean that vaccinations are useless, or should be discontinued?

NO! In a sense, since we all have the same basic DNA programming to a great degree, we all respond generally the same way to vaccines and vaccinations. That's what makes them useful. That's why the Centers for Disease Control can estimate which strains of flu will be prevalent in a given winter and we can get flu shots that decrease our chances of getting the flu.

Are flu shots 100% effective for 100% of the people? NO.

However, where did we get this requirement that everyone has to respond the same or something is no good?

We all respond basically the same to flu shots; but with occasional differences. We don't let those differences stand in the way of the utility of vaccinations and flu shots.

Basically, we all have the same DNA repair mechanism; but with some differences.

However, we shouldn't let those small differences dissuade us from accurate assessments of radiation risks.

When you examine the sources of radiation from the University of Michigan website; we see that the radiation that we get from nuclear power and nuclear weapons fallout are a very small fraction of our total exposure. The number one source of exposure to radiation for the average person is good old Mother Nature at 82% of our average exposure.

There's actually a rather large variation in that average depending on what altitude we live at, and what part of the country. The concentration of radioactive materials in your environment is dependent on what rock formations Mother Nature put down in the area in which you live.

Medical use account for another 15%; and those have been very beneficial. Medical doctors take into account the benefits vs. risks when ordering tests and treatments involving radiation. Only when the benefit exceeds the risk is the procedure ordered.

Another large variable is how much time you spend in airliners. Pilots and flight crews can increase their exposure by 50% or more due to their occupation.

In all this; the rather small contribution from nuclear power almost gets lost in the noise. There's no great increase in risk due to the use of nuclear power, and the elimination of said exposure would be a trivial reduction to our exposure.

PamW