[ RadSafe ] FW: [gulflink] Low Level Radiation Exposures duringDesert storm

Mon Aug 30 20:44:00 CDT 2010

August 30, 2010

         This quote is from the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Foundation's 
press release, whose full text is at the bottom of this posting:

"Gail Kansky, President, stated, "The Foundation's real revelation came
when our staff linked specific research on mitochondrial DNA deletions, first
published by Australian scientists in 1995, to work published by
scientists in Ireland in 2005."

         This is the link to the Australian work:
http://www.ncf-net.org/pdf/ZhangMitochondrialDNAdeletionsInCFS.pdf

         This is the link to the work done in Ireland:
http://www.ncf-net.org/pdf/MurphyMitochondrialDNAmutationsByRadiation.pdf

         Links to these papers, and more material, will be found at 
this Foundation link:
http://www.ncf-net.org/library/PressRelease100820AddInfo.htm

         Another press release quote says, "The Foundation has also 
noted that CFS has been previously identified as a characteristic 
aftermath of radioecological catastrophe."  This catastrophe is --- 
of course --- Chernobyl.  The Foundation link has links to papers (in 
PDF) purporting to explain all this.

         The Australian paper is "Unusual pattern of mitochondrial 
DNA deletions in skeletal muscle of an adult human with Chronic 
Fatigue Syndrome," by Zhang, Baumer, Mackay, Linnane,and Nagley; in: 
Human Molecular Genetics 4(4):751-754; 1995.

         The paper from Ireland is "Mitochondrial DNA point mutations 
and a novel deletion induced by direct Low-LET radiation and by 
medium from irradiated cells, by Murphy, Nugent, Seymour, and 
Mothersill; in: Mutation Research, 585(___): 127-136; 2005.

         All of this is far over my head, so I can not discuss it.  I 
am merely providing the links and citations.

Steven Dapra


At 03:31 PM 8/27/2010, Brennan, Mike  (DOH) wrote:
>Hi, Barbara.
>
>I am not saying that there cannot be some type of effect from radiation
>exposure.  I do have doubts about claims that exposure too low to be
>measured and identified, and that clearly is not as high as natural
>background in a number of parts of the world can cause long term
>debilitating effects, such as CFS.  I particularly doubt them when the
>overwhelming majority of people who suffer from CFS were not in the
>place where the exposure supposedly took place, and the overwhelming
>majority of the people who were and are in that place do not have CFS.
>But I am not saying it is impossible.
>
>However, saying that radiation exposure causes "...exactly the same
>unique mitochondria characteristics..." is like claiming that you can
>identify people shot with a particular model bullet because it hits all
>of its targets in exactly the same unique spot, when no other type of
>bullet ever strikes.
>
>I can be convinced, but it will take extraordinary evidence, as opposed
>to the quality of evidence being offered, which is none.
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu
>[mailto:radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu] On Behalf Of
>blreider at aol.com
>Sent: Thursday, August 26, 2010 8:38 PM
>To: radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu
>Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] FW: [gulflink] Low Level Radiation Exposures
>duringDesert storm
>
>
>Mike, perhaps the issue is the levels of dose? "Radiological
>catastrophe" levels are not what we consider low level and the studies I
>glanced at were looking into clinical levels of radiation.  Radiaiton
>therapy doses do cause a chronic fatigue.  The fatigue has been noted
>even when blood forming organs (bone marrow) are not highly irradiated.
>There is ongoing research into the mechanisms, work in LA this past year
>has associated a specific protein with this phenomenon in prostate
>cancer ad breast cancer patient irradiation.
>
>If you google the www, you will see all sorts of articles on the
>cellular level effects of radiation on mitochondria, some hypothecizing
>that there are possible "amplified" cellular effects (possibly
>reversible) due to radiation not directly effecting the DNA in the
>nucleus but affecting mitochondrial DNA.  It looked like there are other
>chemical causes for the same molecular effects.  So maybe the reporter
>didn't undestand or state things correctly, but I didn't get the
>impression it was a hoax.
>
>
>Disclaimer:  I am not a radiobiologist, I only play one on TV.  This is
>not my field so I am a total lay-person.  Perhaps one of the RadSafe
>RadBio folk can speak up.
>
>Barbara Reider, CHP
>
>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Steven Dapra <sjd at swcp.com>
>To: radsafe <radsafe at agni.phys.iit.edu>
>Sent: Thu, Aug 26, 2010 8:46 pm
>Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] FW: [gulflink] Low Level Radiation Exposures
>duringDesert storm
>
>
>Aug. 26
>          According to the press release about this on the NCF
>ebsite, "The Foundation has also noted that CFS [chronic fatigue
>yndrome] has been previously identified as a characteristic
>ftermath of radioecological catastrophe. A lengthier article
>ncluding references will be in the fall edition of the newsletter."
>          The newsletter would be that of the National Chronic Fatigue
>yndrome Foundation.
>          Elsewhere in this thread someone asked about the Australian
>nd Irish research.  The press release says this:  "The Foundation's
>eal revelation came when our staff linked specific research on
>itochondrial DNA deletions, first published by Australian scientists
>n 1995, to work published by scientists in Ireland in 2005."
>          The link to the press release is
>http://www.ncf-net.org/PressReleases.htm#nal>.
>          Other than the press release, there appears to be nothing on
>he website about the supposed connection between Chronic Fatigue
>yndrome and rad exposure.
>          This link is to the research being funded by the NCF.
>         <http://www.ncf-net.org/NCFresearch.htm>.
>
>teven Dapra
>
>t 05:39 PM 8/25/2010, Brennan, Mike  (DOH) wrote:
>Is this a joke?
>
>"They had identified exactly the same unique mitochondria
>characteristics to be due to the direct effects of low level radiation
>exposure."
>
>A random event such as radiation interaction inside a cell is going to
>produce "exactly" the same characteristic in mitochondria?  Do they have
>an idea of how that might happen?
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu
>[mailto:radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu] On Behalf Of Roger Helbig
>Sent: Wednesday, August 25, 2010 3:06 PM
>To: Radsafe
>Subject: [ RadSafe ] FW: [gulflink] Low Level Radiation Exposures
>duringDesert storm
>
>
>National CFIDS Foundation (NCF) Announces Link between Chronic Fatigue
>Syndrome and Low Level Radiation Exposure
>
>
>NEEDHAM, Mass., Aug. 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National CFIDS
>Foundation Inc., of Needham Mass, has announced its formal disease model
>for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) also known as Chronic Fatigue Immune
>Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS) as well as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME).
>According to the NCF, a subgroup of patients with CFS fit a unique
>disease profile based on a model for a radioactive toxin.
>
>Since starting its formal research grant program, the NCF has provided
>one million dollars in grant funding to pursue its own directed research to
>study ciguatera toxicology; a critical immune protein known as STAT-1;
>and myelodysplasia as well as myeloid leukemia -- all of which have been
>identified in the patient subgroup.
>
>According to Alan Cocchetto, Medical Director, "Our research suggested
>that a relationship existed between ciguatera poisoning, STAT-1 and
>myelodysplasia as well as leukemia. Early evidence also suggested that
>some type of catalyst was potentially involved in this disease process.
>Because of some very unique characteristics identified during the 
>course of our
>research, what emerged was the potential for low level radiation to act
>as the catalyst to evoke a specific response that fit the profile for our
>patients. We believe this to be very important since radiation not only
>adversely impacts STAT-1 but it has also been found to cause
>myelodysplasia as well as myeloid leukemia, the very things we have 
>been studying. In
>addition, the bystander effects associated with low level radiation
>exposure cause real problems at the cellular level and this unfortunately
>translates into an increased risk for cancer."
>
>Gail Kansky, President, stated, "The Foundation's real revelation came
>when our staff linked specific research on mitochondrial DNA deletions, first
>published by Australian scientists in 1995, to work published by
>scientists in Ireland in 2005. They had identified exactly the same unique
>mitochondria characteristics to be due to the direct effects of low 
>level radiation
>exposure. This same defect had been mirrored in CFS but it hadn't been
>classified for ten years. Because this fits our disease model, we are
>pursuing additional research studies. There is no doubt in my mind that
>we have found several key pieces to this disease puzzle tied to our patient
>group." Furthermore, Kansky added "What is especially discouraging is
>that the global implications here could prove to be staggering!"
>
>The Foundation has also noted that CFS has been previously identified as
>a characteristic aftermath of radioecological catastrophe. A lengthier
>article including references will be in the fall edition of the newsletter.
>
>Founded in 1997, the goals of the NCF are to help fund medical research
>to find a cause, expedite treatments and eventually a cure for CFIDS/ME.
>The NCF is funded solely by individual contributions. Additional information
>can be found on the Foundation's website at  <http://www.ncf-net.org>
>www.ncf-net.org or in The National Forum quarterly newsletter. The NCF
>can be reached by phone at 781-449-3535.
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