Radiation Leaking From Hanford

Missing from “Radioactive Waste Seeps Toward Columbia River” (March 12) was any realistic assessment of the dangers to people or the environment from the leaking radiation. I am deeply concerned about many environmental issues, such as global warming, the depletion of the ozone layer, destruction of the rain forest, etc. However, from what I know about radiation, the Hanford situation wouldn’t even be on my top-100 list of environmental worries.

In many parts of the world the natural background radiation is from 10 to 100 times larger than the average level. At these radiation hot spots, plants, animals and people do just fine: Life expectancies are not any lower, and cancer rates are not any higher. Perhaps because the background radiation levels were much higher millions of years ago, life on Earth has evolved a powerful natural immunity to low levels of radiation. It is only radiation levels thousands of times higher that cause illness. If the Hanford leaks only cause an increase in the background radiation by a tiny fraction of 1%, the effect on the environment and people will be completely negligible. In fact, because the seepage of the radiation through the ground is so slow and the amount of water in the Columbia so large, the likely increase in radiation level in the Columbia River from the Hanford leaks is probably only thousandths or even millionths of a percent.

STEVEN R. WHITE

Professor of Physics and Astronomy, UC Irvine

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Your article about radioactive waste seeping toward the Columbia River was a chilling reminder for most of us who hope (pretend) that there really isn’t a serious problem or that the government will come up with a silver bullet at the eleventh hour. I froze in fear for a minute. What could I, one person, do? It seems realistic that in five to 20 years this toxic waste will reach this major river and will have a catastrophic effect.

I stand a far greater chance of winning the California Lottery than of being able to gather support, make these concerns heard and have the government treat this situation for what it really is, a true national emergency. My one letter to my congressman will not make a difference. But thousands of letters from people who are focused on this issue could make a difference. For the sake of us all, I hope so.

DOUGLAS SHAPIRO

Culver City