Transcript – Myth1

[ Music ] ^M00:00:11

[Person 1:] We probably covered radiation in school, but I don’t remember. Most of what I know about radiation is from TV or movies and books if that’s even accurate. I do know that it can really mess you up, and you don’t really have to blow it out of proportion to understand that.

[Person 2:] Comic books. It’s in so many comic books, and I know it’s not the best source of information, but I figure whatever; the science is probably right or at least close.

[Person 3:] Honestly, I know in video games if you stand by the radiation cloud, your life meter drains, and you have to get out as quick as possible or you will die.

[Vivi:] Unfortunately, many people only know about radiation from what appears in television and movies – like teenage mutant ninja turtles or Spider Man. Armin, I take it from your reaction that you don’t find these to be the most credible sources of information.

[Armin:] There have been a lot of movies and TV shows that use radiation as a major plot driver, but the science behind radioactivity and the health effects of radiation is often misrepresented to make the plot more interesting or dramatic.

[Vivi:] But it’s not entirely fair to place the blame on Hollywood for propagating myths about radiation. The truth is there is a lot of technical information about radiation that most people are generally unfamiliar with.

[Armin:] You’re right, and we, as radiation protection professionals, don’t make it any easier for people to understand. There are a lot of technical terms, units of measurement, and jargon unique to radiation. For those of us who work in this field, it’s easy to forget that certain words may convey different meanings to the public. We also use two different systems of measurement for radiation – the US system and the international system. For example, during the Fukushima response, we saw radiation measurements reported in different units, depending on who took the measurements, where they were taken, and who was reporting them, and this may lead to confusion or misunderstanding.

[Vivi:] Absolutely. I remember how difficult that was, and if we ourselves are confused, we can’t expect the public to keep things straight. When crafting messages in a radiation emergency, communicators need to remember that most people, even highly-educated people, are coming with a very basic understanding of the concepts. We need to avoid jargon, define technical terms, be consistent in the use of units of measurement, and, when possible, use comparisons that help put the risk in perspective.

[Armin:] You know, during the Fukushima emergency, the Environmental Protection Agency detected radioactive material in air samples taken along the U.S. West Coast. The levels were extremely low. To put the risk in perspective, we can compare the levels to radiation doses that people regularly receive. These doses were thousands of times lower than the dose the average person receives in a typical day from natural sources of radioactivity, like from the sun, soil, and even the air we breathe.

[Vivi:] That’s a great example, and it really helps put it in perspective. ^M00:03:31

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