Transcript – Myth3

[ Music ] ^M00:00:11

[Person 1:] Radiation is scary, because if you’re being exposed, there is nothing you can do to protect yourself.

[Person 2:] Well, if radiation gets in you, it’s there. It stays with you forever, the rest of your life.

[Person 3:] Stay away from people with radiation ‘cause you can get it from them, and you don’t want to.

[Vivi:] Armin, these comments demonstrate that people feel somewhat powerless when it comes to protecting themselves from radiation exposure. But there are actions people can take to protect themselves, right?

[Armin:] That’s right. This is when it is really important to understand the difference between contamination and exposure. If we’re contaminated, there are easy steps we can take to clean ourselves and get rid of the contamination. If we’ve been exposed, we don’t present a threat to anyone – it’s not like being exposed to a virus that infects us and possibly others. Another point is that radiation exposure is a matter of degree. In fact, many people may not realize that we are constantly exposed to some level of ionizing radiation during everyday living from natural sources in our environment. If there is an additional and unwanted source of radiation, the longer we are exposed to it, the larger the radiation dose absorbed by our bodies. So, we take steps to reduce our dose. In a radiation emergency, this could mean evacuating an area, or it could mean taking shelter where we are. The protective actions recommended by emergency officials depend on the circumstances of the emergency.

[Vivi:] That’s right. And because people are unfamiliar with radiation, and scared, they’ll need easy-to-follow instructions on how to protect themselves. And many of these instructions can be prepared in advance, so they are ready to use when needed.

[Armin:] Ultimately, it’s all about dose. We want people to take the appropriate protective actions to minimize their radiation dose, so they can reduce their risk of health effects.

[Vivi:] Armin, another major obstacle in communicating about radiation risk is that fear and fatalism dominate the public’s perception of a radiation emergency. If someone is feeling powerless, they are less likely to take actions to protect themselves. But if someone knows they can take an action, even a small one, they will feel more confident and are more likely to be able to protect themselves and others. Messages that are clear and promote easy-to-follow protective actions are most likely to resonate with people and motivate people to act in a meaningful and positive way. Communicators will need to get information out to multiple audiences – those in the affected area and those who are essentially watching the emergency unfold on traditional or social media outlets – and the information needs for these audiences differ. For people in the immediate emergency area, the messages should provide clear instructions on what people can do to protect themselves and minimize their radiation dose. For those outside the immediate emergency area, we also want to give actionable messages. But the actions will be different. They might be: stay away from this area, take shelter where you are, or stay tuned for more information. If we don’t tell people what they can do to protect themselves, they may take actions that could be negative like getting in the way of responders or taking medicine they don’t need. In the early hours of a radiation emergency, empowering the public with clear messaging will help save lives. ^M00:03:39

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