Radioactive rebar linked to Cancer -

["Sandy Perle" <sandyfl@EARTHLINK.NET>]

I received this from a colleague. It is in regards to the Taiwan 

contaminated rebar.



I am not providing any conclusions I have drawn:



Radioactive rebar linked to Cancer

Public health: medical experts fear for the health of former 

residents of radiation contaminated buildings who may no longer be 

checking up on their health



By Chiu Yu-tzu (ªô¨|·O), staff reporter, Taipei Times (»O¥_®É³ø) 2001-

04-29, Sunday



A five-year study of the incidence of disease among residents of 

radiation-contaminated buildings was recently completed, showing that 

the possibility of chromosome aberration-

damage to DNA- was proportional to long-term exposure to low-dose 

radiation.

  From November 1995 to June 2000, a research term at National Yang 

Ming University

(¶§©ú¤j¾Ç) kept track of more than 4,100 sample people who once lived 

in buildings that had been constructed in Taipei City between 1982 

and 1983 using radioactive steel reinforcing bars.

  A high incidence of diverse cancers was discovered among samples 

taken from the group.

  The researchers said that cancer could be induced by various 

factors, including personal life-style and environmental and 

occupational conditions.  Exposure to radiation exceeding safety 

limits is also a factor that deserves close attention, they said.

  “We found that DNA damage and chromosome aberration was closed 

related to samples’ long-term exposure to low-dose radiation,” Chang 

Wu-shou (±iªZ­×), leader of the research team, told the Taipei Times.

  The 4,100 sample patients, who have been receiving treatment at 

Taipei Municipal Jen- ai Hospital, are among some 7,800 residents 

recorded by the Taipei City Government as victims of radiation 

contamination.

  Eighty-nine of the 4,100 samples were diagnosed with cancer, 

including cervical cancer, breast cancer, liver cancer, leukemia and 

thyroid cancer. Researchers said that high incidence of the disease 

might be attributed to chronic low-dose radiation exposure.

  Over the course of the research period, 39 of the 89 cancer suffers 

died.

  Researchers said that the situation did not mean that the mortality 

from cancer in the group was higher than that in other population 

groups because there was no direct link between cancer and the 

patients’ exposure to low-dose radiation.

  Researchers, however, concluded that excessive radiation did have a 

negative impact on humans. 

  “For example, we discovered that the height of children who had 

been exposed to radiation [exceeding the safety limits] was generally 

below average,” said Chang, an environmental health sciences 

professor.  He also said that the incidence of cataracts

(¥Õ?»Ù) among children who lived in radiation-contaminated buildings 

was higher that 

the national lever.

  “We also concluded that radiation causes damage to white blood 

cells, weakening people’s immune systems, “ Chang said.



UNPLEASANT REMINDER

Chang’s study, supported by the National Health Research Institute 

(°ê®a½Ã¥Í¬ã¨s°|)

might raise public awareness of safety issue regarding radiation.  

The research, however, has not been welcomed by the Atomic Energy 

Council (AEC, ­ì¤l¯à©e­û·|), the government’s nuclear watchdog 

responsible for everything from radioactive medical was to nuclear 

waste, because the history behind the research was the last thing 

officials of the council wanted to be reminded of.

  Officials from the council contacted Chang several times, asserting 

that his research on low-level radiation would not result in any new 

scientific discoveries.  They told him that a low dose of radiation 

has been demonstrated to be beneficial to humans.

  Chang , however, said the council should be ashamed of itself for 

discouraging him from conducting his research because Taiwan was the 

only country which could provide such samples for medical research.

  “Contaminated buildings in other countries would be dismantled 

immediately after radiation pollution was confirmed,” Chang told the 

Taipei Times.

  In the early 1980s, rebar contaminated with Cobalt-60 was used in 

the construction of more than 100 buildings in several counties in 

Taiwan.  The situation was not publicly

known until a 1992. One day that summer a Taiwan Power Company 

(TaiPower, »O¹q)

worker took a Geiger counter, an instrument to measure the intensity 

of radiation, back to his home and discovered level of background 

radiation that greatly exceeded safety limits.

  High amounts of radiation had actually been detected years earlier. 

 In 1985 a dentist had an x-ray machine set up in his apartment in 

Minsheng Villas (¥Á¥Í§O¹Ö) in Taipei

and dangerous amounts of radiation had been detected.  The dentist 

was banned from operation the machine.  However, AEC officials did 

not mention to residents that high levels of radioactivity came from 

the walls of the building rather than the x-ray machine.

  The truth was exposed later. Because of a dispute over promotions 

at the council, high-

ranking officials revealed in 1992 that AEC officials had been 

involved in a cover-up of 

the radiation-contaminated buildings. 

  After a reporter from the Liberty Times discovered that radiation 

levels at the villa exceeded safety limits by hundreds of times, a 

comprehensive check was carried out on thousands of buildings 

constructed between 1982 and 1984 in Taipei City.  More that 100 

buildings, including office buildings, schools and kindergartens in 

the city were confirmed to be contaminated by radiation. 



  At the time, thousands of residents, young and old, were identified 

as having been exposed to more than I milli-Sievert per year (mSv/y) 

, a safety limit set by the International Radiation Protection 

Association (IRPA), for up to 12 years. Following the investigation 

in Taipei, buildings with radioactive reinforced steel bars were 

discovered elsewhere in the country, including Taipei, Changhua, and 

Taoyuan counties and also

Keelung City. 

  Hsu Ssu-Ming (³\«ä©ú), secretary-general of the Radiation Safety 

and Protection Association Taiwan (RSPAT), told the Taipei Times that 

the radiation-contaminated reinforce steel bars discovered to date 

only account for a small portion of the radioactive bars. 

  Hsu said that an ironworks produced 20,000 tones of contaminated 

rebar but so far the government has discovered only 7,000 tones of 

the product. 

  The 7,000 tons of contaminated rebar was use in more that 2,000 

homes and 30 schools, affecting more than 10,000 residents.

  Hsu said that potential dangers from undiscovered radiation 

contamination continue to threaten the public because the ironworks 

lost all records of the steel bars.

  “Where are undiscovered radiation-contaminated buildings?  They 

could be all over the islands,” Hsu said.



HEALTH CHECK

“We strongly encourage victims to have free medical examinations to 

take care of their health,” Hsu said. 

  He pointed out that many victims relocated from the radiation-

contaminated buildings ignore the potential threats to here health 

after they have move away. 

  A teenage boy, who relocated to Kaohsuing County after going to a 

primary school

contaminated by radiation in Taipei for two years, ignored the 

notification from the Taipei City Government and missed chances to 

receive treatment.  He later discovered he had leukemia.  By the time 

the Tzu Chi Foundation (·OÀÙ) found enough suitable bone marrow for 

him from 140,000 donors, it was too late for him to have an 

operation.  The boy died of the cancer last December.

  The boy, however, was not one of the subjects in Chang’s research.

  “The government has lost contact with too many victims and are 

therefore no longer getting any help,” Hsu told the Taipei Times.

  A group of residents led by Minsheng Villas residents established 

the radiation Victims’ Association Taiwan to fight for compensation 

from the government and to raise public awareness that being exposed 

to radiation was dangerous.

  Many of the victims had spent their life savings on the apartments 

they saw as their dream homes, but which later became the source of 

their nightmares, 

“Whereare undiscovered radiation contaminated buildings? 

Theycould be all over the islands”

Hsu Ssu-ming, secretary general of the Radiation Safety Protection 

Association Taiwan



  In 1993, three officials were censured for neglect of duty after 

having learned in 1985

that Minsheng Villas was seriously contaminated by radiation.  In 

1994, the Taipei, District Court accepted lawsuits for state 

compensation from 65 residents of Minsheng Villas. 

  But it was not until 1997 that the court made a judgment in favor 

government to compensate them for physical, property, and 

psychological loses resulting from the intentional negligence of 

government officials who had concealed information. 

  That was the only successful case for victims who asked for state 

compensation.



The AEC’s Role

Fewer than 20 of the almost 200 buildings discovered to be 

contaminated by the radiation were properly dealt with.  Some 

residents continued to live in the radiation-contaminated buildings 

because the selling price offered by the AEC was far less than what 

the home-

owners had originally paid.

  The AEC also carries out studies relating to radiation-contaminated 

buildings.  researchers from the medical school of National Taiwan 

University confirmed only that the rate of death of thyroid-related 

diseases among the victims was higher than that of other population 

groups.

  Another research paper by the AEC published in the British medical 

journal the Lancet in February last year show that the incidence of 

chromosomes being affected in people who lived in radiation-

contaminated buildings was substantially high than that of control 

groups. 



                                                  Written by Chiu Yu-

tzu

                                                  Taipei Times, 

TAIWAN

                                                          2001-04-29





------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sandy Perle					Tel:(714) 545-0100 / (800) 548-5100   				    	

Director, Technical				Extension 2306 				     	

ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Service		Fax:(714) 668-3149 	                   		    

ICN Pharmaceuticals, Inc.			E-Mail: sandyfl@earthlink.net 				                           

ICN Plaza, 3300 Hyland Avenue  		E-Mail: sperle@icnpharm.com          	          

Costa Mesa, CA 92626                    



Personal Website: http://www.geocities.com/scperle

ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Website: http://www.dosimetry.com



************************************************************************

You are currently subscribed to the Radsafe mailing list. To unsubscribe,

send an e-mail to Majordomo@list.vanderbilt.edu  Put the text "unsubscribe

radsafe" (no quote marks) in the body of the e-mail, with no subject line.