[mpyne]

Or Denver, or even Ramsar (IIRC), Iran.

The fact that people can survive in those areas without noticeable increase in risk of cancer seems to lend credence to the idea that there is a threshold that one can become acclimated to. But it's still a politically sensitive topic, enough so that the experts still don't want to push away from the harbor of the current ALARA recommendations.

[ekianjo]

> But it's still a politically sensitive topic

Yeah, and God Forbid we talk about the positive aspects of radiations - some level of radiation is actually beneficial to kill some bacteria in your bodies and reduce some types of ailments and cancers. This has been observed (but certainly NOT widely reported in the media for which Nuclear Energy is the Devil Incarnate) in several studies.

[lostlogin]

I agree. However parts of the nuclear industry would do the whole industry a great service if they cleaned themselves up. Up front honesty about mistakes and accidents might make a bad headline or 2, but it they look far worse when the retrospectascope is peering in after a big problem. A critical media and general population would (IMHO) be more accepting of accidents if major events (Fukishima being a big, unusual example) weren't followed by months of backtracking, half truths and lies.

[ekianjo]

I totally agree with you, but at the same time many countries force "top secret" level on all nuclear information to the public. It is certainly the case in France and probably elsewhere too, and there is as much responsibility on the government side that there is in the industry.

We need both total transparency and proper education on the risks/benefits of nuclear technology.