It's hard for the average citizen not to feel concern over the news coming out of Japan about harmful radiation. After all, a reading 100,000 times higher than normal background radiation, as was recently reported, has to be of concern, right? Actually, you can't really tell from the information available in the news stories.
The problem is that radiation is a complex issue, which makes it rough on reporters. There are three areas of concern: the radiation coming from the source, the amount actually absorbed by a person, and the biological risk from exposure. These are three separate and distinct elements, each with a different unit of measurement. To make things more interesting, there are two systems of measurement in use - the conventional system used in the United States and the System Internationale derived from the metric system and used by the international community.
Not complex enough yet? There are four different types of radiation (alpha and beta particles, gamma rays, and x-rays) and each type has a number known as a Quality Factor that is used to multiply the absorbed dose to determine the biological risk. The absorbed dose is a product of the source radiation multiplied by the time of exposure.
So what's my point? The fact is that to simply state that the source radiation is at such and such a level tells us nothing about the true risk. Stating that it is 100,000 times greater than normal background radiation sounds scary but it is meaningless without any context. Is this high or really, really high? What does it mean to the average citizen? Are we all going to die? How long can someone be exposed to this level before it hurts them?
We don't really know what the long term effects will be from Japan's problems. We worry about drifting particles that have already begun to reach North America. There is concern that radioactive iodine will find its way into the food chain over time. But will the levels of radioactivity cause harm?
Without context, our citizens can't make informed decisions. We generate needless fear and encourage unnecessary precautions - sales of potassium iodide increased considerably in the United States in March. So take the time think through your crisis management message. Try to look at it through the eyes of the recipient. Ultimately, it's not enough for you to send the message; the recipient needs to receive and understand it.
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