Carolina Peace - Nuclear Weapons

Nuclear Weapons

Protect the Most Vulnerable

Written by Gerald L. Rudolph
Tuesday, 06 November 2007
Presently, many federal radiation protection standards are based on average lifetime exposure or on "Reference Man," a hypothetical adult "Caucasian" male who is 20 to 30 years old, weighs 154 pounds, is five feet seven inches tall, and is "Western European or North American in habitat and custom." "Reference Man" is widely used to set federal rules and regulations, for instance, limits on how much residual radiation will be allowed in radioactively contaminated soil. IEER (Institutue for Energy and Environmental Research) in Takoma Park, Maryland, is sending an open letter to President Bush asking him to initiate actions to change the rules and regulations so they do not use the population least affected by radiation, but take into account the effects of radiation on pregnant women and on children and others who may be more affected by exposure to radiation. Support their effort by signing onto their letter: http://www.ieer.org/campaign/letter.php.