[ RadSafe ] Impact of Cs-137 on Children's Lung Function

Sat May 22 14:53:37 CDT 2010

Kjell Johansen,

Thanks you so much for you thoughtful and informative insight on this issue.
I have never considered seriously the socioeconomic status/condition of the
population in the area around Chernobyl. What you have said here on second
thought seems so obvious it is hard to believe I've never seen it in print.

Thanks again,
Larry Addis, RSO
Clemson U.

-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu
[mailto:radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu] On Behalf Of Dan W McCarn
Sent: Saturday, May 22, 2010 2:32 AM
To: radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu
Cc: 'Wendy Hahn'; 'Johansen, Kjell'
Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Impact of Cs-137 on Children's Lung Function

Dear Group:

The area around Chernobyl is one of the most impoverished areas of Belarus
and Ukraine. Diets are short of fruit, meat and vitamin deficiencies are
common as are diseases related to vitamin deficiencies. In some ways, the
area reminded me of the rural South of the depression era. Since I am from
rural Alabama, I have some personal knowledge of this kind of grinding
poverty.

A pediatrician from Chernobyl was quoted as saying, "Every time I see a
child which might have immune-deficiency disease from the Chernobyl
accident, all I have to do is go to the child's home and see that the root
cause is poverty and malnutrition." Perhaps my experience from working there
only two years (1995-1996) is insufficient to understand all of the issues,
but it was very clear to me that the poverty was profound.

Before I began working in Belarus in early 1995, I checked with the IAEA's
medical services for potential risks. Their recommendation was to have a DPT
booster (diphtheria, pertussis & tetanus) because the area was identified by
WHO as a high risk area for diphtheria and pertussis.  This is also an
indicator of poor health-care delivery in the area and has little to do with
the Chernobyl accident per se.

A secondary issue overlooked by this paper and most other papers on
Chernobyl effects is that the primary industries of farming and timber were
made uneconomic following the Chernobyl accident.  The forestry industry was
suspended in areas of high concentrations of radionuclides, most likely in
the same zones with a correlation with pulmonary disease in children.  The
areal distribution of R/Ns, especially those areas of higher concentrations
most certainly caused a bad economic situation to worsen. Poor economics and
health issues are always highly correlated.

In my opinion, it does major disservice to the people of the Chernobyl area
to suggest that every issue is caused by radiation. As mentioned by Kjell
Johansen, Cs-137 deposition is probably a good indicator for asbestos and
other contaminants and I posit that it is also a good indicator of local
economics. I believe that the issues and causes go much deeper than
contaminants and radiation. 

These children are some of the most susceptible to pulmonary disease due to
the above-mentioned issues, namely poverty, malnutrition and poor
health-care delivery.

I would be willing to bet that the areas of high Cs-137 contamination are
also the most impoverished. And the most impoverished areas are also those
areas that have the highest health risks for children.  An interesting study
of these data would include correlating the local economics with the
distribution of pulmonary disease and other diseases that are associated
with poverty & malnutrition.

Respectfully,

Dan ii

--
Dan W McCarn, Geologist
108 Sherwood Drive
Los Alamos, NM 87544-3425
+1-505-310-3922 (Mobile - New Mexico)
HotGreenChile at gmail.com (Private email) HotGreenChile at gmail dot com

-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu
[mailto:radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu] On Behalf Of John R Johnson
Sent: Friday, May 21, 2010 16:57
To: Johansen, Kjell; radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu
Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Impact of Cs-137 on Children's Lung Function

Kjell

Perhaps it is just due to the increased particlulate expossure?

John
***************
John R Johnson, PhD
CEO, IDIAS, Inc.
4535 West 9th Ave
604-676-3556
Vancouver, B. C.
V6R 2E2, Canada
idias at interchange.ubc.ca

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Johansen, Kjell" <Kjell.Johansen at nexteraenergy.com>
To: <radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu>
Sent: Friday, May 21, 2010 1:50 PM
Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Impact of Cs-137 on Children's Lung Function

> It is a very long leap of faith to assume Cs-137  was responsible for the 
> reduced lung function.  A more likely conclusion should have been that the

> Cs-137 was a depositional marker for other materials which may have been 
> in the air and which may have been deposited during the Chernobyl event. 
> What else was released during the fire which could have effected lung 
> function?  Was any asbestos released?  There is no indication that any 
> other contaminant was considered.
>
> As always, the opinion expressed is my own and not necessarily those of my

> employer.
>
> Kjell Johansen
> Nuclear Chemistry Analyst
> NextERA Energy Point Beach
> kjell.johansen at NextERAEnergy.com
>
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