[ RadSafe ] Follow-up Studies on DU exposed Veterans

[Stewart Farber]

Hi all,
Regarding Elaine Hunter, she worked for a while for American Atomics back in 
the late 1970s and is mentioned in the following link. This facility handled 
and released tritium and she quit claiming safety problems. Exposure to 
workers was in the mrem range apparently.

Stewart Farber, MS Public Health
--------------------
See:

http://www.ratical.org/radiation/KillingOurOwn/KOO10.html

Tritium in Tucson, Wastes Worldwide
Scroll down to:
Tritium in the Cake

EXCERPT:
Finally, American Atomics employee Elaine Hunter blasted the company in a 
letter printed in the local Arizona Daily Star. She was quitting work at 
American Atomics, she said, "not in fear of radioactivity," but "in disgust 
and anger that those greedy men were making a fast buck while jeopardizing 
the physical and emotional well-being of those involved with the fabrication 
of their product.[8]
8. Elaine Hunter, letter to the Arizona Daily Star, April 15, 1979.

========================

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Roger Helbig" <rhelbig at california.com>
To: "radsafelist" <radsafe at radlab.nl>
Sent: Tuesday, June 13, 2006 11:45 PM
Subject: [ RadSafe ] Follow-up Studies on DU exposed Veterans


> Is anyone on the list familiar with Elaine Hunter ..have any idea what 
> happened when she claims to have been badly irradiated .. or is this just 
> a fantasy on her part?
>
> --- Elaine Hunter <dutnkyoh at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>> From: Elaine Hunter <dutnkyoh at yahoo.com>
>> Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2006 06:14:57 -0700 (PDT)
>> Subject: [DU-WATCH] Follow-up Studies on DU exposed
>> Veterans
>>
>> What a guinea pig knows.
>>
>>   When I read about calls for studies and proposed
>> studies on the health of veterans exposed to DU, I
>> get a knot in my stomach and feel considerable
>> anxiety.  And it's not because I don't want the
>> follow-up studies.  It's because I was twice a
>> subject in follow-up studies in an entirely
>> different case of nuclear madness.  But only a
>> guinea pig, only a guinea pig.  They don't tell
>> guinea pigs of outcomes.  Guinea pigs don't have the
>> need-to-know.  When you are a human guinea pig, they
>> don't even feed you, water you or clean your cage.
>>
>>   NIOSH [National Institute of  Occupational Safety
>> and Health] has my blood.  On a scale of 1 to 10, I
>> was undoubtedly in the top 10 most exposed to the
>> radioactive material in question.  I worked on
>> highly contaminated equipment with negligible safety
>> training or precautions except for what I found out
>> for myself in research. Working only half-time, I
>> averaged about half the allowable industrial
>> maximim. I was among those who called for closure of
>> the plant. I was among those who called for a
>> follow-up study.  One phase of the follow-up was to
>> collect blood smears from the more highly exposed to
>> check for chromosomal damage.  While the principal
>> investigator was on vacation, NIOSH came to his
>> office, confiscated those blood smears and they've
>> not been heard of since. I've received no follow-up
>> information from the studies.  These studies were
>> done in the early to mid 1980's.
>>
>>   There is no doubt in my mind that the principal
>> investigator [any vets' studies will have principal
>> investigators] had the best of intentions.  But as
>> they say "The road to Hell is paved with good
>> intentions."
>>
>>   If studies for chromosomal damage in vets' were to
>> be done, they would be declared invalid as far as
>> the veteran is concerned because no vet has had a
>> baseline chromosomal study for comparison.  However
>> it might be useful data to those who are conducting
>> long on-going research into the effects of radiation
>> on human beings.
>>
>>   Does it not disturb you to know that the human
>> genome project is in the culpable hands of Los
>> Alamos Laboratories and the Department of Energy?
>>
>>   Please, please, what safeguards are there in any
>> proposed follow-up studies to ensure that veterans
>> who volunteer for follow-up studies will not become
>> just a ongoing bunch of guinea pigs for the nuclear
>> war, research and power industries?
>>
>>   Elaine Hunter
>
>
> _______________________________________________



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