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

[John Jacobus]

Rainer,
If I understand your comments, I think that you make
an important point.  But may be not in the way you
intended.  When I discuss the effects of low dose
radiation, I try an indicate that there have been no
DEMONSTRATED effects below 100 mSv (10 rem).  This
does not mean that radiation-induced cancer do not
occur.  Rather, exposed and unexposed cohort
populations may not live long enough to demonstrate an
effect.  I believe that Dr. Raabe's data also makes
this point.

--- Rainer.Facius at dlr.de wrote:

> << 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

+++++++++++++++++++
May we never confuse honest dissent with disloyal subversion. 
Dwight D. Eisenhower  

-- John
John Jacobus, MS
Certified Health Physicist
e-mail:  crispy_bird at yahoo.com

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