AW: AW: [ RadSafe ] Cameron's refutation of "Alara Does Work" -Preemployment physicals

Fri Jul 7 12:09:39 CDT 2006

Hi Rainer,

We would have expected Matanoski to have screened out the NNW that were medically excluded from radiation work in producing the "carefully matched controls," but the report does not screen them out.  As I said before, we went to the Navy authorities and got an informal response that the number excluded were too few to effect the results.  We didn't get anything official, but at the time we probably could have.  I don't remember whether John Cameron addressed that at the time, ca. 1994-98.

We did not get it directly, but the Navy was more concerned about the mesothelioma results than the radiation results in being concerned about the report getting out.  It's not clear how much of a role the Navy played in dealing with DOE, who dealt with Matanoski to suppress publication, and its suppression by Upton in BEIR V, and since, other than the continuing obfuscation, including FDA, NCI, NIOSH and others beyond DOE.

Regards, Jim 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl 
> [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl] On Behalf Of Rainer.Facius at dlr.de
> Sent: Friday, July 07, 2006 11:15 AM
> To: crispy_bird at yahoo.com; rjgunter at chpconsultants.com; 
> radsafe at radlab.nl
> Subject: AW: AW: AW: [ RadSafe ] Cameron's refutation of 
> "Alara Does Work" -Preemployment physicals
> 
> 
> Thank you John, 
> 
> these copies indeed prove your claim that in the Standard 
> Form 93, REPORT OF MEDICAL HISTORY (rev. Oct. 1974), at least 
> until 1994, i.e., for a substantial part of the NSYW study, 
> the question as to a family history of cancer was included. 
> Of course, as Robert Gunter has remarked, if this had led 
> automatically to an exclusion of an applicant, then a rather 
> small fraction of the population would have qualified. 
> 
> So the major question remaining is, to what extent a check in 
> this box precluded an applicant to become a nuclear worker in 
> the shipyards. I will try to find out what the Matanoski 
> report has to say about that.
> 
> Until then best regards, Rainer (who will be off the office 
> until the beginning of August)
> 
> Dr. Rainer Facius
> German Aerospace Center
> Institute of Aerospace Medicine
> Linder Hoehe
> 51147 Koeln
> GERMANY
> Voice: +49 2203 601 3147 or 3150
> FAX:   +49 2203 61970
> 
> -----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
> Von: John Jacobus [mailto:crispy_bird at yahoo.com] 
> Gesendet: Freitag, 7. Juli 2006 15:19
> An: Facius, Rainer; rjgunter at chpconsultants.com; radsafe at radlab.nl
> Betreff: Re: AW: AW: [ RadSafe ] Cameron's refutation of 
> "Alara Does Work" - Preemployment physicals
> 
> Rainer,
> While I do feel it is really worth my time continuing with 
> this discussion, I would like you to provide you with copies 
> of MY old radiation physicals.  They show the overprint 
> regarding family history of cancer, anemia, and cataracts.  I 
> found them while going through my old militray medical 
> records for information on hearing test.
> 
> If they are not attached, let me know and I will send them to 
> you directly.
> 
> Have a good weekend.
> 
> --- John Jacobus <crispy_bird at yahoo.com> wrote:
> 
> > Rainer,
> > As I have said, I was involved with oversight of the 
> medical exams.  
> > There were other Navy officers also involved, and their experiences 
> > may have been different from mine.  Maybe the number of workers not 
> > accepted for radiation work was not significant.
> > Nevertheless, I would think that even the suggestion of 
> selection bias 
> > that was not corrected would call into question the 
> original data set.
> > 
> > If you wish to consider my concerns as being valid, that is 
> up to you.
> > 
> > --- Rainer.Facius at dlr.de wrote:
> > 
> > > Dear John,
> > > 
> > > if in fact a selection bias was operating against the 
> assignment of 
> > > applicants to a nuclear
> > workplace
> > > by the persistent application of such "family history" 
> regulations, 
> > > this indeed would render the NSYW study immaterial 
> regarding health 
> > > effects
> > from
> > > radiation. 
> > > 
> > > The regulations which you kindly offered so far so that I could 
> > > study them do not mention family history and others here familiar 
> > > with such procedures reject it as a selection mechanism possibly 
> > > affecting the bulk of the NSY workforce.
> > > Unless I can read documents proving otherwise, I prefer 
> to discard 
> > > it as an explanation for the improved health status of nuclear 
> > > workers.
> > > 
> > > Kind regards, Rainer
> > > 
> > > Dr. Rainer Facius
> > > German Aerospace Center
> > > Institute of Aerospace Medicine
> > > Linder Hoehe
> > > 51147 Koeln
> > > GERMANY
> > > Voice: +49 2203 601 3147 or 3150
> > > FAX:   +49 2203 61970
> 
> 
> +++++++++++++++++++
> e to the x, dy dx, e to the x, dx
> Tangent, Secant, Cosine, Sine
> 3.14159
> Square Root, Cuberoot, udv
> Slipstick, slideroot
> NCE
> 
> Cheerleaders chant from my old undergraduate college.
> -- John
> John Jacobus, MS
> Certified Health Physicist
> e-mail:  crispy_bird at yahoo.com
> 
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