NukeWorker Forum
Career Path => General => Topic started by: Bern Finnigan on Jun 03, 2010, 10:04
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The largest problem our profession has with the general public is the severe bias that far too many people have to anything with the word "radioactive" in it. Its a word that generates stark raving terror and it has set the public against us for far too many years with fear-mongering "entertainment" such as The China Syndrome, Silkwood etc. And thats just for starters:
Tired of your relatives asking you in your nuke plant has mutants in its basement?
Have you explained one time too many that no, you do not glow in the dark?
How many movies can you name that have smeared radiations good name?
- CERCLA waste in the New York sewers creates radioactive mutants? (CHUD)
- Background radiation from atomic testing creates giant bugs? (THEM)
- Evil radiation from space causes the recently deceased to return to life? (Night of the Living Dead)
Well, I had it up to here and decided to tackle it all head on.
I'm new to radiation, but my previous career was education, Physics and Mathematics at the high school and University level. To that end I have made an educational film that addresses the worst of the radiation cliches, and provides elementary basic facts to keep the the stark-raving fear at bay:
THE PHYSICS OF SCIENCE FICTION: Radiation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PA9XOcyIUE (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PA9XOcyIUE)
Topics addressed:
The 3 most common kinds and how they work (Alpha, beta, gamma), and how to block them
The Natural Radioactive sources, and how much dose for each
The most repeated LIES about radiation: (Mutation, death, etc)
The lethal absorbed dose
Everything in here should be common knowledge to us, but essential viewing to the general public whose sole source of radiation education is a 30 clip of CHUD from youtube. Pass this to anyone you know who needs basic education.
And dont be afraid to comment. There's always room for a sequel. ;)
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That, was a good clip.
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Liked it... not sure if I'd use it in any of my training but it did make me smile. ;) Couple this with "50 ways to lose a milliRem" video and you got a hit!