[ RadSafe ] Drawing the line between science > andpseudo-science. (was Rational Thought) >

[John Ahlquist]

I was at the 1971 HPS meeting at the Waldorf Astoria in NYC when this issue was 
hot.  There was a lot of press there for the Sternglass show.  I addition to the 
excellent statement below read by Dade Moeller, there was a presentation showing 
how Sternglass had cherry picked data on infant problems.  He did a study of 
data in California but the period he used coincided with an outbreak  of rubella 
{German measles] which causes at least a 20% chance  of damage to the fetus if a 
woman is infected early in pregnancy.   The years before and after this 
outbreak, things were normal.  
 
Right after Moeller read the statement, I heard Sternglass sigh "Now I know how 
Galileo felt."

John Ahlquist

From: radsafe-bounces at agni.phys.iit.edu on behalf of Bob Cherry
> Sent: Thu 06/10/2011 04:40
> To: 'The International Radiation Protection (Health Physics) Mailing List'
> Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Drawing the line between science
> andpseudo-science. (was Rational Thought)
>
> The December 1996 issue of the HPS Newsletter refers to an even earlier
> issue:
>
> Every issue of the HPS Newsletter seems to have information
> important enough to reference. The August
> 1971 issue is no exception. An exceptional event was
> described in that issue. After Ernest Sternglass presented
> a paper on an epidemiological study describing health
> effects from nuclear facilities discharges, Dade Moeller,
> President-Elect, read a statement that had been signed by
> Claire Palmiter, President. and all 13 past presidents of
> the Society.
>
> In part. it stated that Sternglass had presented papers
> in which he associates an increase in infant mortality
> with low levels of radiation exposure ... His allegations
> made in several forms, have in each instance been ana.
> lyzed by scientists, physicians, and biostatisticians in the
> federal government, in individual states that have been
> involved in his reports. and by qualified scientists in other
> countries. . Without exception, these agencies and scientists
> have concluded that Dr. Sternglass' arguments are
> not substantiated by the data he presents. The United
> States Public Health Service, the Environmental Protection
> Agency, the States of New York, Pennsylvania,
> Michigan, and Illinois have issued formal reports in rebuttal
> of Dr. Sternglass' arguments.
>
> Again. in spite of the efforts by the most respected
> authorities to prevent the widespread broadcasting of
> Sternglass' flawed perceptions, Sternglass was sought for
> comments by the media and his story told countless times.
> The public was presented with fearful misinformation.
> Many members of the Society wanted stronger efforts to
> counter erroneous information, but our story was not
> considered newsworthy by the media.
>
> --from Bob C