QUESTION:
Do the conclusions of the NASA-cosponsored, National Academy of
Sciences report, in April 1997 on low level radiation health
effects mean that the health dangers of the dispersal of plutonium
during an accidental swingby re-entry are much greater than
calculated in the Cassini EIS?

ANSWER from FAQ on June 3, 1999:
The referenced work is by Hei, et al., and was published in
the April 1997 issue of the Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences. The consequence and risk analyses
performed for the Cassini mission accord with this NAS study.
Furthermore, the EIS and SEIS results reflect the internal
dosimetry models presented in the International Commission on
Radiological Protection (ICRP) Publication 30 and the
radiation health effects estimator for the induction of fatal
cancers as outlined in ICRP Publication 60, both of which are
accepted by the national and international radiation
protection community.