Re: Deaths from fossil fuel burning air pollution

["Jerry Cohen" <jjcohen@prodigy.net>]

Bernie,
    I don't really  KNOW  how these victims became seriously ill. Perhaps
their illness resulted from "pollution", perhaps it was from some other
cause. However, if you want to know what I believe --- I think that the
presumption of LNT is nonsense. As is the case with radiation, there is
likely a threshold for all harmful agents below which there is no effect or
perhaps even a hormetic (beneficial) effect. At high enough exposure levels,
it can be clearly shown that harmful effects result. That does not mean that
such effects will necessarily occur at low doses. I know it doesn't prove
anything, but there are lots of people who live long and healthy lives in
large congested cities with high pollution levels.
    I am  well aware that the anti-nukes like to express their estimates of
radiation exposure consequences in terms of numbers of cancers,  deaths, or
other alarming terms. Also, in making comparisons with fossil fuel burning
consequences, you are  trying to fight fire with fire. This is a noble
effort on your part. Nevertheless, two wrongs don't make a right.
Jerry


-----Original Message-----
From: Bernard L Cohen <blc+@pitt.edu>
To: Multiple recipients of list <radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu>
Date: Wednesday, November 29, 2000 10:27 AM
Subject: Re: Deaths from fossil fuel burning air pollution


>
>On Wed, 29 Nov 2000, Jerry Cohen wrote:
>
>> I believe this tells us that those in seriously poor health may be
>> "pushed over the brink" a little sooner than might otherwise occurred.
>
> --How did these people reach "the brink"? Why do you not think
>that air pollution brought them there? Do you not believe that air
>pollution weakens peoples cardiopulminary systems and makes people sick?
>What does this? Is it only things we eat and not things we inhale? There
>are lots of data showing increased hospital admissions and mortality
>during air pollution episodes. Studies show decreased function of
>pulmonary systems when air is polluted. There is a sizable scientific
>community studying these issues -- why do you doubt their findings
>without studying their work?
>
>> I don't know how you would judge the significance of all this, but I
would
>> question whether "pollution" has any significant effect on a healthy
>> population.
>
> --Of course air pollution doesn't kill healthy people suddenly. It
>slowly degrades their health until they reach "the brink" and then the
>next episode may kill them.





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