[ RadSafe ] dose RATE of ANY Medicine is the decisive variable

[Paul Lavely]

A very good reference for none professionals is a book by Ottoboni. I makes the dose rate issue clear, that many "harmful" substances have a beneficial effect at lower doses, and that some materials (such as iron) have a deleterious effect at very low doses (anemia) and are a poison at high doses (again iron). 


The Dose Makes the Poison: A Plain-Language Guide to Toxicology, 2nd Edition (Paperback) by M. Alice Ottoboni 

Editorial Reviews
Dr. H. L. Kusnetz, past president of the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) and the American Academy of Industrial Hygiene (AAIH)
Alice Ottoboni's second edition of "The Dose Makes The Poison", a "plain language guide to toxicology" is must reading for every industrial hygienist, client, employer, and daily contact of the industrial hygienist. Ottoboni takes us on a well organized tour of toxicology in layman's terms. The distinctions between poison, toxicity and hazard are sharply drawn. Thorough explanations of factors that influence toxicity are included. Cogent examples using using everday items like foods which contain toxic materials (caffeine in coffee, solanine in potatoes, or ethanol in vodka) make clear the ability of the body to handle divided doses. Dr. Ottoboni helps us understand the difference between the trauma we cause from a needless fear of a chemical than the trauma we cause when we permit exposure to toxicologically significant amounts of that chemical.

Paul Lavely

Radiation Safety Officer

Environment, Health & Safety

UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720-1150

Tel: (510) 643-7976

Fax: (510) 643-9495


-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl] On Behalf Of howard long
Sent: Wednesday, September 06, 2006 9:46 AM
To: Ted Rockwell; Muckerheide-MA; Rainer.Facius at dlr.de; radsafe at radlab.nl
Cc: Rad_Sci_Health at yahoogroups.com; Rad-Sci-L
Subject: [ RadSafe ] dose RATE of ANY Medicine is the decisive variable

100 aspirin  -  fatal at once, good over a year (to reduce clots and mortality rate).
  10 gallons of water - fatal at once, necessary over a year (in some form) to sustain life
  1000 usual daily doses of Vit A, D, E, R, etc all at once can poison the liver, etc.