WHAT'S NEW Robert L. Park Friday, 4 Oct 02

[Susan L Gawarecki <loc@icx.net>]

The quote of the week is:  There is ... no claim so preposterous that an

expert cannot be found to vouch for it.



Enjoy your weekend.



Susan Gawarecki



WHAT'S NEW   Robert L. Park   Friday, 4 Oct 02   Washington, DC



1. CELL-PHONE LAWSUIT: THE LAWS OF PHYSICS ARE UPHELD.  A federal

judge dismissed an $800M lawsuit filed by a Maryland neurologist

who claimed his brain cancer was caused by cell phone use.  There

is, of course, no claim so preposterous that an expert cannot be

found to vouch for it.  This case rested on research by Swedish

oncologist Lennart Hardell, who published a study in this month's

European Journal of Cancer Prevention that found long-term users

of analog cell phones were at least 30 percent more likely than

nonusers to develop brain tumors.  His claim was widely reported

by the media. However, a review of epidemiological research on

cell phone use, commissioned by the Swedish Radiation Protection

Authority, described Hardell's study as "non-informative" and

concluded that "there is no scientific evidence for a causal

association between the use of cellular phones and cancer."  



2. EMF AND CANCER: GETTING THE WRONG ANSWER THE HARD WAY.  From

the beginning, it was clear that the Hardell study got the wrong

answer.  All known cancer-inducing agents, including radiation,

certain chemicals and a few viruses, act by breaking chemical

bonds to produce mutant strands of DNA.  Photons with wavelengths

longer than the near ultraviolet do not have enough energy to

break a chemical bond in DNA.  Case closed.  If epidemiology

comes up with a different answer, the study is simply wrong.  



3. FREE ELECTRICITY: JUDGE RULES AGAINST DENNIS LEE.  As part of

his 50-state tour (WN 7 Sep 01), the notorious con man made his

pitch in Spokane, WA on August 28, 2001.  It was one state too

many.  The Washington Attorney General charged Lee with violating

the state's consumer protection laws by making claims that are

deceptive and misleading.  In particular, Lee claims to have the

world's most efficient motor, the "Hummingbird Motor," that

produces five times as much energy as it takes to run it. 

Combined with the "Sundance Generator" that is 100% efficient,

this could power your home, with plenty of electricity left over

to sell.  Armed with an affidavit by a physicist familiar with

Lee's free energy scams, the State sought a summary judgement.  

Lee made no attempt to counter the scientific arguments, 

objecting to the State's motion only on procedural grounds.  

Last Friday, the judge granted the summary judgement against Lee,

denying Lee a chance to bamboozle scientifically innocent jurors. 



4. MISSILE DEFENSE: IT BECOMES AN ISSUE IN THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS.

Democratic Senator Tim Johnson is urging voters to elect him to

help hold the Democratic majority in the Senate, thus keeping the

states's senior senator, Tom Daschle, as majority leader.  But

Johnson's opponent, John Thune has unexpectedly made missile

defense a major issue in his campaign, running ads that accuse

Johnson of voting against Bush's missile defense plan 29 times.



THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND and THE AMERICAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY

Opinions are the author's and are not necessarily shared by the

University or the American Physical Society, but they should be.

--

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