Harsh, offences by simple questions out of curiosity, Questions for Cohen,

[Franz Schoenhofer <schoenho@via.at>]

Stewart and RADSAFErs,

Be careful!!! By making such a comment you could be called by some other
participants of the list as "harsh" (this just happened to me) and asking
questions to Norman might be considered by another one as an offence (as it
just has happened to me as well). It is fascinating how careful we have to
be with all the anti's not to hurt them and to answer all their questions
patiently and extensively, so that they can afterwards distort our answers
or at least go on totally unimpressed by our expertise with their
accusations that we "kill" or in many cases they claim that we kill
(without inverted commas), that we downplay the risks and the actual
negative health impact which has been identified by the most brilliant
scientists like Sternglass etc - like the "dramatically increased incidence
of breast cancer" and the increased infant mortality or or or or. 

Asking somebody like Norman, why he is posting to RADSAFE, is obviously a
terrible offence. I have asked this since he is obviously totally
unimpressed by all the expertise from the group, neglects all arguments,
still defending the Tooth Fairy Project, which is in my opinion one of the
most unscientific nonsense and finally a waste of time and money. I have
not read any numbers yet!!!!! No results have been published, but we read
all the time that "elevated Sr-90 concentrations have been found"! When
asking detailed answers he hides behind the well known attitude that he is
not an expert. I do not write comments on the stock exchange, because I am
not an expert and nobody would ever publish anything I would write about
this topic. But a Psych BA and History MA can of course write about
radioactivity and nuclear energy whatever he wants, contradict the most
experienced experts, deny worldwide and very costly research, because it
does not fit into his point of view, collect money for the fight against
something which does not exist, creates tremendous psychical troubles to
the population by frightening them to death with infant mortality, breast
cancer, leukemia, thyroid cancer and so on. Has anybody any knowledge about
these psychological problems and their impact on health? 

Thanks, Stewart, what you raised is most interesting and (for me) a new
aspect of the whole story and worth discussion. I wonder what Norman will
answer - if he answers at all. 


May I finally confess that I am not a nuclear freak. I opposed always the
concept of hormesis. I advocate a reasonable way of dealing with risks. I
do not downplay anything and I accept the LNT theory because I think that
it is something so we can be on the safe side - I think that several
RADSAFErs have been arguing with me about these heretic thoughts. Therefore
I take the liberty to ask once again Norman, why he is posting on RADSAFE.
I am just curious.

The very last remark: On TV I just watch with one eye the film "China
Syndrome". Anybody remembers it?



At 10:00 01.05.2000 -0500, you wrote:
>I would like to see Norman Cohen's thoughts having studied history at the 
>graduate level and psychology as he notes about the issue of whether
nation's 
>have ever gone to war over energy supply or are likely to do so in the 
>future? Does he see this as part of the health and safety impact of any
given 
>fuel cycle?
>
>Does he see any relationship between the US defending its' own and other 
>nations'  [like Japan] uninterupted supply of oil and our actions in the 
>Middle East where we sent a few thousand Marines into Beiruit [where several 
>hundred died in an attack], and hundreds of thousands to protect Saudi
Arabia 
>[and our?? oil] all at huge economic and human costs?
>
>Does he feel any concern that millions of people starved to death in  Africa 
>in the late 1970s to 1980s because oil prices skyrocketed due to the excess 
>demand by Western industrialized nations [who could have developed nuclear 
>energy to displace many used for oil in their economies] and this priced 
>poorer nations out of the market for oil to use in agriculture for
fertilizer 
>and to power machinery like tractors to grow food?  Should these kinds of 
>legitimate impacts on the health of millions due to energy supply allocation 
>issues be considered by environmental activist groups are are can they be 
>accused of being dishonest with their supposed concern for the health and 
>safety of others?
>
>I am not asking these questions rhetorically. I would greatly appreciate 
>hearing from Norman Cohen to understand why issues like those raised above 
>are ignored by activist groups like STAR who focus only on making some 
>largely specious claims, about minute radiation exposures from one 
>contributor to the overall radiation exposure of the population, based upon 
>some very poor science?
>
>Stewart Farber, MS Public Health
>email: radiumproj@cs.com
>
>Also 
>In a message dated 5/1/00 10:07:25 AM Eastern Daylight Time, PXM@nrc.gov 
>writes:
>
><< Hi Norm,
>    Just a quick question... what are the safer forms of energy production 
>that you would like to see implemented in this country?    
>         thanks!
>                Patricia Milligan Sullivan, CHP
>                pxm@nrc.gov
> 
> 
> 
> >>> Norman & Karen Cohen <norco@bellatlantic.net> 04/29 8:22 PM >>>
> Hi Sandy
> 
> I can't give you a yes/no answer. I think that there is some validity to
the 
>Tooth
> Project's theories. I'm not a scientist, that should be evident by now 
>(psych BA,
> History MA), so I can't argue all the fine points with you, tho' I give it 
>my best
> shot. >>
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Franz Schoenhofer
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A-1160 Vienna
Austria
Tel.: +43-1-495 53 08
Fax.: same number
mobile phone: +43-664-338 0 333
e-mail: schoenho@via.at


Office:
Hofrat Dr. Franz Schoenhofer
Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management
Radiation Protection Department (BMLFUW I/8 U)
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AUSTRIA

phone: -43-1-71172-4458
fax: -43-1-7122331

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