N.J. Brookhaven spokeswoman Mona Rowe says the tritiated water may be moving so slowly that, with dilution and natural decay, it's already reached equilibrium and won't get any higher at the farthest edge of the plume of contamination, which is still inside the perimeter of the laboratory site. But we're not convinced of that yet. Moreover, she notes, the public, which has a say in cleanup decisions, may reject that option. DOE Assistant Secretary O'Toole sees something unsafe, which should be forbidden.
Perfect safety is an illusory goal.
All of us willingly risk our lives every time we get behind the wheel of a car. In addition, bureaucrats seldom have the expertise to judge what is reasonable and what is not. Rick Norwood Johnson City, Tenn. Because any liner will have to withstand very high radiation fields, the material of choice is stainless. Under radiation bombardment, Brookhaven officials say, polyethylene would harden and crack.