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

[Rainer.Facius at dlr.de]

<< All of these examples refer to deterministic processes rather than stochastic processes, so no LNT advocate would consider them  to be relevant for evaluating radiation induced cancer. >>


Prof. Raabe's point is well taken - provided the distinction between 'deterministic' and 'stochastic' effects is more than a reflection of our drive (and associated incapability) to systematize the realm of nature with our limited comprehension. Today, for me this classification is hardly more than this. Forgive me, if I quote Goethe with his unequalled characterization in his Faust I of this dilemma:

Student (V.1993):
"Doch ein Begriff muß bei dem Worte sein."
Mephisto (V.1995-6):
"Denn eben wo Begriffe fehlen, da stellt ein Wort zur rechten Zeit sich ein."

(perhaps some one can provide the English version)

Operationally, after stripping off the associated verbiage, in the final analysis an effect is stochastic by definition, if its probability of occurrence increases linearly with 'dose' without threshold, i.e., "stochastic" and "LNT" are synonymous. From that definition it has yet to demonstrated that stochastic (radiation) effects do in fact exist.

Regards, Rainer



________________________________

Von: Otto Raabe [mailto:ograabe at ucdavis.edu]
Gesendet: Do 07.09.2006 00:23
An: howard long; Ted Rockwell; Muckerheide-MA; Facius, Rainer; radsafe at radlab.nl
Cc: Rad_Sci_Health at yahoogroups.com; Rad-Sci-L
Betreff: Re: [ RadSafe ] dose RATE of ANY Medicine is the decisive variable


At 09:45 AM 9/6/2006, howard long wrote:


	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.
	  Any prescription I write must have the frequency of the dose, or a pharmacist would not fill it. 

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All of these examples refer to deterministic processes rather than stochastic processes, so no LNT advocate would consider them  to be relevant for evaluating radiation induced cancer.

Otto



**********************************************
Prof. Otto G. Raabe, Ph.D., CHP
Center for Health & the Environment
University of California
One Shields Avenue
Davis, CA 95616
E-Mail: ograabe at ucdavis.edu
Phone: (530) 752-7754   FAX: (530) 758-6140
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