Most scientists believe that this is a conservative model of the risk. So, now the risk estimates. So, instead of the 2,000 people expected to die from cancer naturally, you would now have 2,008. This small increase in the expected number of deaths would not be seen in this group, due to natural fluctuations in the rate of cancer. What needs to be remembered it is not known that 8 people will die, but that there is a risk of 8 additional deaths in a group of 10,000 people if they would all receive one rem instantaneously.
Risks can be looked at in many ways, here are a few ways to help visualize risk.
61, September 1991. Another way of looking at risk, is to look at the Relative Risk of 1 in a million chances of dying of activities common to our society. So, in summary, we must balance the risks with the benefit. It is something we do often. We want to go somewhere in a hurry, we accept the risks of driving for that benefit.