Chernobyl Data

Distrust of the nuclear establishment runs deep in the Soviet Union today. They hid the truth from their own people, as well as the rest of the world.

But contrary to the impression Dr. Robert Gale’s article conveys (“Contaminated, Betrayed, Can America Trust Again?” Commentary, April 24), the U.S. has been open about radiation data from its nuclear weapons laboratories and plants for 20 years. The controversy arises from differences in interpretation of the data, differences between scientists and political activists.

With radiation, as with any poison, exposure data has no meaning unless quantities are known. At Chernobyl, firefighters who received 500 rads or more in an hour died. It means nothing when Gale says that there are radiation exposure records on 600,000 workers at Hanford. Probably 599,980 were within standards, and there is no evidence that radiation caused them harm.

Radiation exposures at America’s 115 nuclear power plants are tabulated and analyzed, exposures over standards are few and have all been reported in the public record. Any worker has access to his on-the-job data. There may be credibility problems, but it is not fair to blame them on withholding of radiation facts.

A. DAVID ROSSIN

Los Altos Hills

The writer was assistant secretary for nuclear energy, U.S. Deparment of Energy, 1986-87.