As noted in Chap. 3, one of the greatest radiation-related fears among the public is the fear that it will affect their health. People worry about radiation sickness, radiation burns, and death in the short term; they also worry about birth defects and cancer in the long term. Because the great majority of people do not understand the actual health effects associated with radiation exposure, there can be a tendency to attribute to radiation a greater deadliness than is actually the case.