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␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓βS␈↓∧ Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, STANFORD UNIVERSITY, Stanford, California 94305

␈↓ ↓H␈↓∧Telephone 415 497-4430␈↓ 	oOctober 13, 1980 




␈↓ ↓H␈↓Editor:
␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓↓New York Times␈↓
␈↓ ↓H␈↓229 West 43d St.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓N.Y. 10036

␈↓ ↓H␈↓To the Editor:

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        The␈α␈↓↓Consumer␈αReports␈↓␈αattitude␈αto␈αmicrowave␈αovens␈αcited␈αby␈αRichard␈αSevero␈αon␈α
October␈α8

␈↓ ↓H␈↓is␈α∩an␈α⊃example␈α∩of␈α∩a␈α⊃common␈α∩unbalanced␈α∩attitude␈α⊃towards␈α∩the␈α∩hazards␈α⊃of␈α∩new␈α∩technology␈α⊃as

␈↓ ↓H␈↓compared to old.  Severo quotes Consumers Union,

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        ␈↓↓"In␈α
the␈α
absence␈α
of␈α
de≡nitive␈α
research,␈α
however,␈α
we␈α
still␈α
don't␈α
know␈α
whether␈α
any␈α
of␈α
the␈αovens␈α
can

␈↓ ↓H␈↓↓be judged entirely free of radiation hazard,  Does anyone?"␈↓

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        While␈α
␈↓↓Consumer␈α
Reports␈↓␈α
may␈α
have␈α
saved␈α
someone␈α
from␈α
injury␈α
if␈α
the␈α
ovens␈α
are␈α
not␈α
"entirely

␈↓ ↓H␈↓free␈α∞of␈α∞radiation␈α∞hazard",␈α∞they␈α
should␈α∞be␈α∞asked␈α∞to␈α∞estimate␈α
how␈α∞many␈α∞of␈α∞the␈α∞people␈α∞they␈α
have

␈↓ ↓H␈↓dissuaded␈α↔from␈α_using␈α↔microwave␈α↔ovens␈α_have␈α↔subsequently␈α↔died␈α_or␈α↔had␈α↔children␈α_die␈α↔in

␈↓ ↓H␈↓conventional cooking accidents.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        They␈α
could␈αbegin␈α
by␈α
estimating␈αwhat␈α
part␈αof␈α
the␈α
lesser␈αsales␈α
of␈α
microwave␈αovens␈α
in␈αthe␈α
U.S.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓than␈α
in␈α
Japan␈α∞comes␈α
from␈α
their␈α
opposition␈α∞and␈α
Ralph␈α
Nader's.␈α
 Next␈α∞they␈α
could␈α
note␈α∞from␈α
the

␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓↓Statistical␈α∂Abstract␈α⊂of␈α∂the␈α⊂United␈α∂States␈↓␈α∂that␈α⊂6000␈α∂Americans␈α⊂died␈α∂in␈α∂1978␈α⊂in␈α∂home␈α⊂≡res,␈α∂half

␈↓ ↓H␈↓involving␈αcooking␈αor␈αheating.␈α
 They␈αcould␈αlist␈αnewspaper␈αreports␈α
of␈αchildren␈αpulling␈αpots␈α
o≥␈αthe

␈↓ ↓H␈↓stove,␈α⊂igniting␈α⊂their␈α⊂clothing␈α∂from␈α⊂open␈α⊂∨ames␈α⊂of␈α⊂gas␈α∂ranges␈α⊂and␈α⊂being␈α⊂burned␈α⊂by␈α∂exploding

␈↓ ↓H␈↓kerosene␈α⊂cookers.␈α⊃ Conventional␈α⊂cooking␈α⊃devices␈α⊂don't␈α⊃have␈α⊂interlocks␈α⊃to␈α⊂prevent␈α⊃access␈α⊂while

␈↓ ↓H␈↓∨ames␈αare␈αpresent,␈αdon't␈αhave␈αtimers␈αto␈αshut␈αthem␈αif␈αthe␈αuser␈αforgets␈αand␈αdon't␈αremain␈αcold␈αwhile

␈↓ ↓H␈↓cooking.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓αEditor:␈↓ ¬↑October 13, 1980␈↓ 
nPage 2␈↓ 


␈↓ ↓H␈↓        They␈α∞may␈α∞still␈α
conclude␈α∞that␈α∞conventional␈α∞cooking␈α
is␈α∞safer,␈α∞but␈α
they␈α∞will␈α∞have␈α∞done␈α
their

␈↓ ↓H␈↓duty␈αto␈αthe␈αconsumer␈αby␈α
comparing␈αthe␈αhypothetical␈α hazards␈αof␈α
the␈αnew␈αwith␈αthe␈αknown␈α
hazards

␈↓ ↓H␈↓of the old.


␈↓ ↓H␈↓Sincerely,



␈↓ ↓H␈↓John McCarthy
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Director
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Professor of Computer Science