Best way to counter radiation scare

[Aghanim]

Today, my friend invited me and several other friends to play Dota 2. And then he said that one of my friend cannot play because his mom say:.... you guess it, RADIATION!!!!!!!! ****!!!! And then, one of my friend in my party believe that LAPTOPS EMIT CANCER RADIATION!!! I'M SICK OF THIS!! WHY EVERYONE DOESN'T KNOW A THING ABOUT SCIENCE!!! (rant) So, again with prevalent radiation scare, like I remember like 4 year ago, there is a brochure about a demonstration of

cellphones cook eggs, my grandma say that putting your cellphone in your pocket could paralyze your leg, and even on Slashdot there is a news about parents successfully make a school BANS WIFI BECAUSE OF RADIATION!!!! So, I know about light is a radiation and such, but is there, somewhere in the deep web, about something, a compilation of thing that will convince people that non-ionizing radiation isn't that evil?

EDIT: Now I officially extends this discussion to ionizing radiation as well, as small dose of ionizing radiation isn't that dangerous, but it makes us got scared to build nuclear reactors that stopped us from spewing CO2 to the air

Edited March 14, 2014 by Aghanim

[Tex_NL]

Show them this:

[Seret]

is there, somewhere in the deep web, about something, a compilation of thing that will convince people that non-ionizing radiation isn't that evil?

I'm not sure you're dealing with a rational fear, so I don't think evidence will convince them otherwise. You can't tell someone not to be afraid of spiders by telling them how few people die of spider bites.

[thescientist]

I know what's your problem, but I don't think that there is a way to solve it.

I tried to convice my parents that cellphones aren't so much dangerous showing them a video of an egg surrounded by one hundred phones, which heated the egg less than 1/10 °C, but they still scream at me if I don't use the head-phones...I think that also your parents will not change their opinion. "Parents" knows the Truth-or, much better, they believe to know it. It's very very very hard to change their superstitions.

Radiation have been demonized, so now everyone think that A radiation is dangerous. They probably don't know that every day radiations from space hit their bodies. Yes. Even now. Even if you don't use a PC with Wi-Fi, the electro smog will still exist. The best thing of radiation is that they decrease quickly with distance. In other words, if you keep the router some meters away from you, there will be no problem.

[lajoswinkler]

Show them this.

It is basically background natural ionizing radiation in a volume of space roughly 1m*1m*0.1m.

It does not show nonionizing radiation and neutrinos (roughly 65 billion per second per 1 cm^2 perpendicular to the direction of the Sun).

Laptop "cancer radiation"? LOL, so funny.

[Themohawkninja]

If their parents believe this, then I doubt much evidence will convince them otherwise, but it's worth a shot. Just show them that everything, from the Earth to bananas to electronics (like the ones in the car that they drive to work everyday) produces radiation.

[crazyewok]

I know this irrational fear of radiation amongst the ignorant masses is starting to retard human development. Britain has a power shortage problem at the moment because no one has a the guts to build the needed nuclear plants. Fact is the human race cant rely on fossil fuels to sustain our level of living WE NEED nuclear yet the public just think Hiroshima or Fuskishima or chernobyl and get panicky even though things can be done to make nuclear options safe.

[Themohawkninja]

I know this irrational fear of radiation amongst the ignorant masses is starting to retard human development. Britain has a power shortage problem at the moment because no one has a the guts to build the needed nuclear plants. Fact is the human race cant rely on fossil fuels to sustain our level of living WE NEED nuclear yet the public just think Hiroshima or Fuskishima or chernobyl and get panicky even though things can be done to make nuclear options safe.

Not to mention that I don't recall all that many people dying with the Fukishima accident.

[Seret]

Britain has a power shortage problem at the moment

Er, no we don't. What we might run a little short of in the next few years is spare capacity in the grid. We've only got about 5% spare generation capacity at the moment which is a bit tight, but not a shortage. We're in a bit of a pinch point over the next few years due to some of the larger coal plants going end of life, but things are scheduled to improve as the new plants come online.

because no one has a the guts to build the needed nuclear plants.

A new nuclear power plant at Hinkley was just given the green light a few months ago. First in decades. What they're really worried about is how to pay for it, not how safe it is.

[crazyewok]

A new nuclear power plant at Hinkley was just given the green light a few months ago. First in decades. What they're really worried about is how to pay for it, not how safe it is.

Yes a plant that should have been built a decade ago.

[Arran]

Convicing people that believe in the radiation myths like this its nonsence, is like trying to convince a deeply religious person that god doesnt exists.

I know this irrational fear of radiation amongst the ignorant masses is starting to retard human development. Britain has a power shortage problem at the moment because no one has a the guts to build the needed nuclear plants. Fact is the human race cant rely on fossil fuels to sustain our level of living WE NEED nuclear yet the public just think Hiroshima or Fuskishima or chernobyl and get panicky even though things can be done to make nuclear options safe.

No i dont agree we need Nuclear powerplants in the long run, at best i will go this far its a good temporairy sollution, till we have perfected other sollutions (IE tokamak, cold fusion) since we cannot solve the issues with nuclear waste, nor that every region is able to hold nuclear reactors due it geography, of wich fuskishima is a perfect example of the result of a reactor on the wrong place.

I fullhearty agree we cannot depend much longer on fossil fuels, within a half a century i think it fossil fuels completly drained that it cannot sustain our enery needs.

[Seret]

Yes a plant that should have been built a decade ago.

Well we didn't really need it a decade ago, but I'm not going to derail this thread over it.

Nuclear does suffer from the same problem as fear of EM radiation, people are rubbish at assessing actual risk. Risks which people don't understand and which they don't commonly face in their everyday life always cause more fear than routine things (like driving or DIY) even if the latter are statistically more dangerous.

Basically people make an emotional judgement about risk, so quoting numbers at them has a very limited effect.

[Kerbart]

I'm not sure you're dealing with a rational fear, so I don't think evidence will convince them otherwise. You can't tell someone not to be afraid of spiders by telling them how few people die of spider bites.

Let's revive the best response in this thread sofar. Responding to a non-rational fear with rational arguments is a typical engineering response that is totally useless. The facts you will use to support your case will be dismissed as “lies.†I don’t know what will convince, but using rational arguments will just be a waste of time and a source of frustration.

Good luck.

[ZetaX]

... till we have perfected other sollutions (IE tokamak, cold fusion) ...

Cold fusion is hardly science and mostly nonsense. It was not demonstrated so far at all and it is doubtful if it will ever be possible.

[hugix]

Most people are afraid of radiation not because of rational evidence but because they don't understand it.

What I use to explain people what radiation is harmful and whatnot I cheat. I tell them a little lie believable enough so that they understand the risks. Here it is :

You got two kinds of radiation. One being electromagnetic radiation, the other is radioactive radiation.

The first is very weak and is being generated by electronic devices, hence the name electro.

The second is being emitted by radioactive stuff like plutonium and uranium. These are the kinds of radiation that gives you cancer.

Granted that we do not understand the long long long term effects of electro magnetic radiation on people. But it is safe to say that more people die using their phones/headphones while driving/ crossing the road than because of the radiation it emits.

[Skyler4856]

My dad tried to tell me that WIFI can cause cancer, when I countered by explaining that WIFI waves are radio waves, he said he hated radio waves. I have NEVER face-palmed harder in my life

[hugix]

My dad tried to tell me that WIFI can cause cancer, when I countered by explaining that WIFI waves are radio waves, he said he hated radio waves. I have NEVER face-palmed harder in my life

Waves, who doesn't like waves.. In the water, these small ones that make that splashy sound when they sip over the stones. Or these big ones with surfers in em. Waves, like those in the stadium with all the supporters love those.

But radio waves! to hell with those!!!

[Themohawkninja]

Most people are afraid of radiation not because of rational evidence but because they don't understand it.

What I use to explain people what radiation is harmful and whatnot I cheat. I tell them a little lie believable enough so that they understand the risks. Here it is :

You got two kinds of radiation. One being electromagnetic radiation, the other is radioactive radiation.

The first is very weak and is being generated by electronic devices, hence the name electro.

The second is being emitted by radioactive stuff like plutonium and uranium. These are the kinds of radiation that gives you cancer.

Granted that we do not understand the long long long term effects of electro magnetic radiation on people. But it is safe to say that more people die using their phones/headphones while driving/ crossing the road than because of the radiation it emits.

Firstly it's referred to as "nuclear" radiation, not "radioactive" radiation. Secondly, high doses of EMR can give you cancer. That's why you wear lead for x-rays, and also why a gamma ray burst event directed at Earth is very bad news.

[Kryten]

High doses of ionising EM radiation (UV and larger frequencies) cause cancer, but anything below that is generally fine. Receiving very high doses of some non-ionising wavelengths can contribute to cancer risk due to indirect thermal effects (healing of burns=rapid cell proliferation=increased cancer risk), but it's not exactly the kind of thing that can happen to somebody without them noticing.

[jwenting]

Not to mention that I don't recall all that many people dying with the Fukishima accident.

in fact none died or suffered permanent injury due to radiation induced conditions.

All fatalities and injuries were due to mechanical problems that would have happened irrespective of the nature of the power generation system there.

[Rondon]

It may work if you put it simply, "Light, itself is type of radiation, but looking at something wont give you cancer, light ins't ionizing radiation neither is the type of radiation created by a laptop", but its all about the perception of risk, a person who doesn't know anything about radiation, will only know two things "if laptops give me or my loved ones cancer and I act against this then myself and others are inconvenienced" and "if laptops give me or my loved ones cancer and I don't act against it, I/others could die of cancer".

[Duxwing]

Today, my friend invited me and several other friends to play Dota 2. And then he said that one of my friend cannot play because his mom say:.... you guess it, RADIATION!!!!!!!! ****!!!! And then, one of my friend in my party believe that LAPTOPS EMIT CANCER RADIATION!!! I'M SICK OF THIS!! WHY EVERYONE DOESN'T KNOW A THING ABOUT SCIENCE!!! (rant) So, again with prevalent radiation scare, like I remember like 4 year ago, there is a brochure about a demonstration of

cellphones cook eggs, my grandma say that putting your cellphone in your pocket could paralyze your leg, and even on Slashdot there is a news about parents successfully make a school BANS WIFI BECAUSE OF RADIATION!!!! So, I know about light is a radiation and such, but is there, somewhere in the deep web, about something, a compilation of thing that will convince people that non-ionizing radiation isn't that evil?

*hugs* His mom is wrong, and being subjected to someone else's irrational fears sucks. I too have been. Ideally, his mom would calmly understand that Wi-Fi radiation his harmless, and he would therefore be allowed to play: work toward this ideal without compromising more important ones. If his mom cannot know whether your friend plays Dota 2 or will not undesirably respond to his playing it, then respectively hide his playing Dota 2 or ignore her irrational pleas; whereas if you cannot hide it and she will undesirably respond, then consider whether such other options as reasoning or calming will help.

Below are some ideas that might inspire you:

-Ask your parents to reason with your friend's mom, telling them about how important reason is to you

-Ask your friend's mom how she feels about Wi-Fi: irrational fears may stem from underlying emotional problems

-Try to reason with her: she may just be mistaken

-Duxwing

[The Jedi Master]

Speaking of a radiation scare, it seems we have a huge wall of nuclear fallout from Fukushima coming in fast on California. On the one hand, the news is saying "HOLY **** WE'RE ALL GONNA DIEZ!!1!1ONE!", as they tend to do. On the other hand, Japan wants reports covered up. Since this thread is about radiation scares anyway, can anyone tell me how much actual danger the average American is in right now?

[Kryten]

None whatsoever. Fukushima has barely increased radiation levels in Japan itself, anything in america is not going to be even distinguishable from background.

[crazyewok]

None whatsoever. Fukushima has barely increased radiation levels in Japan itself, anything in america is not going to be even distinguishable from background.

Exactly.

Its just the US media hyping it up to make money.

Irrational fear and hysteria from the unwashed masses = $$$$$$ for the media.