CNN's Elizabeth Cohen: "The key here is the dose. It is so teeny-tiny that

[Thunderstruck]

it does not represent a public health threat." Ms. Todd-Whitman...er...I mean DR. Cohen went on to say "I think what also helps to put it in perspective is that we've been talking to people who work for anit-nuclear groups, people who hate nuclear energy - wanna see it wiped off the face of the earth. It would behoove to say "Oh, Elizbeth, boy this stuff is dangerous and you better watch it. Even they are not saying that. Even the anti-nukes are saying that this is nothing to worry about."

Then they cut to video of anti-nukers backing up what DR. Coh...oh wait...nope, no such video. The segment ended with big smiles and reassuring laughter all around.


Edited to correct DR. Cohen's title.

[ReturnoftheDjedi]

1. sure it's tiny, until it piles up over the course of months. That Cesium will be here for >30 years

[dgibby]

2. It's Dr. Cohen. n/t

[Thunderstruck]

5. Nice!

[barbtries]

3. seems almost impossible

to get the truth. which is all i want. teeny tiny?? she actually said teeny-tiny and i'm supposed to be reassured?

[Warren DeMontague]

15. Does this seem frightening to you?

See, this teeny tiny gnome is sort of like a teeny tiny bit of Cesium-137 making its way into the food chain. Nothing to worry about!

[Thunderstruck]

19. Yes, that was her exact words. I rewinded the take and transcribed it.

Nice huh? This DR, who I presume knows a little something about radiation, is saying a "teeny-tiny" bit poses no public health risk.

If that doesn't tell the story about what's really going on behind the curtains, I don't know what does.

[KansDem]

4. CNN should report "live" from the disaster site...

...it wouldn't be "live" for very long.

[damntexdem]

6. Teeny-tiny bits concentrating through the food chain.

And appearing at your local supermarket.

[Mika]

7. WWOBS

---

| | | | |

[flamingdem]

17. hola Mika! Que comico la policia ;} nt

[Botany]

8. Biological Magnification

Can take teeny-tiny and make it P.D.B. (pretty damn big). It is not about one dose ....
unless it is Strontium or Plutonium and it that case. "a little dap will do you" .... it about
how long will you get the dose and at what level.

[Divernan]

9. "Teeny-tiny?" Does CNN have no reporter with a basic knowledge of science?

They tout her as their "senior medical correspondent"; the woman claims to have a master's degree in Public Health; and THIS is the vocabulary she spouts?

[Journeyman]

10. "Many a little makes a mickle," sayeth Benjamin 'Poor Richard' Franklin. . .

[FSogol]

11. Let's fly Elizabeth Cohen and her boss over there to report first hand.

Right?

[Warren DeMontague]

12. Why do we even bother with containment, then?

I mean, the stuff is so fucking harmless, it's not a big deal when 3 reactors melt down and tons of highly radioactive crap pours into the air, water, and soil... What's with all the big concrete domes and shit? Why are we worried about storing it in Yucca Mountain? They should be able to open a repository for all this "harmless" crap right in the CNN basement.

Right?

[Warren DeMontague]

13. "The spin is all about reassurance" - Richard Alvarez, fmr. adviser to Energy Secretary.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/03/science/03meltdown.html?_r=4&pagewanted=1

Yes, we don't want to muddle your precious little heads with pesky facts. Just be reassured, and make sure you keep buying shit. Okay?

[flamingdem]

14. Alvarez, one of the honest ones nt

[City Lights]

16. And how many teeny-tiny doses are we talking about here, Ms. Cohen? nt

[CoffeeCat]

18. Again,....I have questions--

Yes, we get it--the radiation that is being given off is (ahem) "teeny tiny".

However, what about the radioactive materials that are being dispersed from
Japan?

Cesium and Radioactive Iodine-131 are radioactive substances within the radioactive
cloud(s) streaming from Japan. Are those radioactive substances harmful if we ingest them--like
if they're in milk or in the tap water?

What if these radioactive substances continue to fall on the ground on crops? Don't
these substances accumulate, stick on food and then get inside of our bodies?

YES, we HEAR YOU. The *radiation levels* are low. But what about the deleterious
effect of eating or drinking radioactive isotopes.

Can CNN tell us if this is harmful? Can CNN tell us if they are measuring for the
presence of specific substances such as Cesium or Radioactive Iodine-131?

[qb]

20. CNN "Expert" uses baby talk to reassure American public.

Another case of truth being stranger than the Onion.