[ RadSafe ] Need a good nights sleep?

Sun May 10 12:55:00 CDT 2015

Michael,

Gratulations!!!!! I have been reading masses of unbelievable silly things 
forwarded to RADSAFE for months now, if not years, mostly originating from 
messages of the world wide known nuclear scientist and hot Nobel-prize 
candidate McPherson. But my gratulation is to you, because something lke 
what you forwarded is - as was stated in a decade  old very popular Austrian 
satyrical radioprogramme "such news are not only unbelievable, but they 
cannot even be invented". This statement was wrong as regarding anything 
nuclear todays news issued by folks like the constantly lying organisations 
like Greenpeace show us.

It might be  a waste of time, but let me tell you that I myself have spent 
several years on measuring radon in air and much more gifted persons have 
done it almost all over the world. So what? Who are those "professors" 
mentioned???
Four years of study? Four years of what? Financial support?????

This is unbelievable nonsense and it seems to me that this is a hoax. I 
would have  believed that not even Greenpeace is able to distribute some 
nonsense like this.

Please RADSAFErs refrain distributing nonsense like this. RADSAFE is 
intended for Radiation Professionals not for antinuclear trolls.

Franz

-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht----- 
From: Cowie, Michael I
Sent: Sunday, May 10, 2015 12:55 PM
To: The International Radiation Protection (Health Physics) Mailing List
Subject: [ RadSafe ] Need a good nights sleep?

Classification: Saudi Aramco Company General Use
Never noticed this when it came out originally, apparently a good dose of 
radon helps you sleep ☺

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2942647/Mystery-Sleepy-Hollow-finally-solved-Villagers-unconscious-days-time-poisoned-radon-gas.html

Mystery of Sleepy Hollow finally solved: Villagers who were unconscious for 
days at a time were poisoned by radon gas Scientists say nearby Soviet-era 
uranium mines caused mysterious illness
Known to cause cancer, radon occurs naturally through decay of uranium
The 'toxic gas' induces its victims into a 'dream like state' said one 
expert
Local officials are considering plans to MOVE the remote village of Kalachi
Professor Leonid Rikhvanov has been examining the village for four years
They failed to find traces of radon because it is difficult to detect in the 
air
By Jay Akbar and Richard Gray for MailOnline
Published: 13:31 GMT, 6 February 2015 | Updated: 16:59 GMT, 6 February 2015

Scientists have finally discovered why residents in a remote Kazakhstan 
village known as Sleepy Hollow are mysteriously falling asleep for days at a 
time.
They claim radon gas from nearby Soviet-era uranium mines seeped up to the 
surface and poisoned the residents of Kalachi.
Radon is a colourless, odourless and tasteless gas which occurs naturally 
through the decay of uranium and breathing it is thought to cause lung 
cancer.
Local government officials are considering plans to move the entire village 
because they feel it is impossible to eradicate radon gas from the area.
Although radiation levels in the mines themselves are not thought to be 
dangerous, they have left a deadly legacy for the villagers above.
'Sleepy Hollow': After four years of studies, scientists have finally 
discovered the cause of a mysterious illness which caused people to fall 
asleep for days
Radiation: Scientists say radon, which occurred naturally from uranium in 
nearby mines, seeped to the surface and poisoned the residents of Kalachi
Deadly: Radon - a colourless, odourless and tasteless gas - is thought to 
cause lung cancer and has affected around one in five people in Kalachi 
(pictured)
Radioactive remains: Although radiation levels in the mines themselves are 
not thought to be dangerous, they have left a deadly legacy for the 
villagers above
Professor Leonid Rikhvanov from the Department of Geo-ecology and 
Geo-chemistry concluded the local mines were to blame after ruling out a 
virus or bacteria as the cause.
He said: 'The mines left open spaces underground which were slowly filled 
with water that has risen upwards, driving pockets of gas inside them to the 
surface.
'The gas has a toxic effect that pushes a person into a dream like state, 
and the person then falls asleep.'
Professor Rikhavanov and Tomsk Polytechnic University have carried out 
thousands of experiments on the area for over four years.
RELATED ARTICLESPrevious 1 2 Next  The village that fell asleep: 
Kazakhstanis hit by mystery...  Mystery of the virus paralysing children in 
the US: Rare bug...  'Ghost boy' who was trapped inside his body for eight 
years... Share this articleShareThey failed to find radon because 
conventional methods of measuring radiation do not detect it in the air.
He added: 'We eliminated viral and bacterial infections but also obtained 
test results that ruled out the possibility of radiation sickness too.
'We also failed to find any evidence that toxic chemicals were buried in the 
area as many locals claimed.'
Initially, medics who examined the dozing villagers found they were 
suffering from excessive fluid in the brain but could not work out why.

Sleepy Hollow, Kazakhstan: Villagers suffer mystery brain ailment  Desperate 
measures: Local government officials in Kalachi (pictured) are now 
considering plans to move the village entirely
Infected: Children affected by the mystery illness are so dizzy they can 
barely stand up by themselves and spend days at a time in bed
Nightmare: Professor Leonid Rikhvanov from the Department of Geo-ecology and 
Geo-chemistry said the 'toxic gas' induces its victims 'into a dream like 
state'
Doctor Egor Korovin, who examined the victims, said: 'In medical terms they 
are suffering from encephalopathy, a disorder of the brain but the cause is 
unclear.
'Scans have shown that many of the sufferers have excessive accumulation of 
fluid in their brains.'
HOW TOXIC IS RADON?  According to the National Cancer Institute, radon 
decays quickly, giving off tiny radioactive particles. When inhaled, these 
radioactive particles can damage the cells that line the lung.
Long-term exposure to radon can lead to lung cancer, the only cancer proven 
to be associated with inhaling radon.
There has been a suggestion of increased risk of leukemia associated with 
radon exposure in adults and children however, the evidence is not 
conclusive.
Radon is present in nearly all air. Everyone breathes in radon every day, 
usually at very low levels.
However, people who inhale high levels of radon are at an increased risk of 
developing lung cancer.
Last summer, 60 people were taken to hospital suffering from the condition 
which leaves people feeling dizzy, unable to stand, fatigued and with memory 
problems.
Children affected by the mystery illness could barely stand up by themselves 
and spend days at a time in bed.
Scientists recently stepped up their investigation after locals complained 
the situation was getting worse.
It is thought nearly one in five of Kalachi's 600 residents have been 
affected by the strange sleep disorder.

Scientists stepped up the investigation recently after locals complained 
that incidences of the strange sleeping disorder were getting worse, with 
nearly one in five of the village's 600 residents now affected.
They said the fact that some miners remained unaffected because they have 
built up a natural immunity to radon.
Alsu Shjeladeva, a local resident, said some men from the area had gone down 
the shaft in one of the mines and detected a sweet smell while down there.
The 54-year-old told Russia Today: 'We are afraid of what lies in store. 
We're afraid that we may all fall asleep.'

Ghost town: Kalachi's neighbouring town Krasnogorsk has been deserted since 
the closure of the neighbouring uranium mine

Terrifying discovery: A Russia Today film crew found radiation levels at a 
filled in mine shaft were 16 times higher than normal background levels
Top secret: In the Soviet era, Krasnogorsk was a secret and 'closed' uranium 
mining town run directly from Moscow

Another resident Igor Samusenko, whose son suffers from the condition, said: 
'He runs around and then he gets inert, starts staggering.
'When he turns his head his eyes stay fixed at what he was looking at. If 
you try to wake him it seems the wants to open his eyes but can't. Sleepy 
valley, sleepy hollow, that's what people call us.'
Lyubov Belkova, 60, claims to be the first resident to have fallen asleep in 
April 2010 and has since suffered seven separate episodes.
She was diagnosed with ischemic strokes but then her neighbour began 
displaying the same symptoms. Some have even reported suffering from vivid 
hallucinations.
In September 2014, a Russia Today film crew reported radiation doses 16 
times higher than would be expected from background radiation near the 
entrance of the abandoned mine.
Some locals claimed wind and smoke coming from the mines may be responsible 
for the illness. Others claimed toxic waste has been buried in the area.

Michael Cowie
Environmental Specialist
Radiation Protection Unit
Environmental Protection Department
Saudi Aramco

Tel:         +966 13 880 9747
Mobile:  +966 505892063

Email: michael.cowie at aramco.com<mailto:michael.cowie at aramco.com>

This email has been classified as Saudi Aramco: Company General Use on 
Sunday, May 10, 2015 1:55:46 PM by Cowie, Michael I.

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