RE: BBC News | HEALTH | Chernobyl's cancer world record (http://news.bbc.co.uk/low/

["Ted Rockwell" <tedrock@CPCUG.ORG>]

>IODIZED SALT WOULD HAVE PREVENTED MOST OF THOSE THYROID CANCERS.



Bob:



I believe that looking to KI as "the answer" to nuclear radiation is like

vaccinating everybody against anthrax.  You may do more harm than good.  We

know more about the effects of radiation than we do about the effects of

massive, uncontrolled doses of KI.  As I understand it, the Na/K ratio in

the body is pretty critical.  Injecting KCl into the bloodstream will kill

within a couple of heart-beats.  I know that's different, but I don't think

we have a basis for knowing that KI is harmless to all people under all

circumstances.



Moreover, there is reason to believe that the thyroid cancer problem around

Chernobyl is not primarily caused by radioiodine from Chernobyl.  For

example, the thyroid cases do not correlate with radiation dose.  And it

seems odd there should be so much thyroid cancer when there is no indication

of increased leukemia.  There are at least two other possibilities.  First

is that this region is apparently iodine-deficient and previously showed

many thyroid problems.  Second, there had been little screening for thyroid

abnormalities, and we may be seeing lots of occult (asymptomatic) nodules.



All that is speculation, and I haven't checked the validity of the points

mentioned.  But I think you'll agree there are uncertainties.  Jaworowski

has said so and is investigating the situation, I believe.



Ted Rockwell





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