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>>>Show me those references to his
discredit--if you please.
I cite the following in regards to Dr. Gofman's
various positions as they relate specifically to his positions on radiation
effects.
This is from the Silkwood trials as cited
in "American Jurisprudence: Proof of
Facts," (1991). p. 129:
". . . . (T)estimony which differs significantly
from recognized national and international standards should raise considerable
suspicion.
One court noted the existence of a small but
vocal minority of scientists whose views are generally not followed by the
majority of scientists, but who have been called as expert witnesses in
radiation injury cases. . . .(In Silkwood,) (t)he court went to the
extraordinary effort of striking one witness's testimony entirely and ignoring
the second witness's testimony totally. Regarding these witnesses, the
court stated:
[I have deleted the discussion of the other expert witness as it does not
relate to Dr. Gofman - jgb]
. . . In light of all that has been said here,
the Court disagrees with the basis on which Dr. Gofman has made his opinion
and will ignore it in its entirety. Doubtless this will offend the
sensitivities of this most confident witness; notwithstanding that, the Court
knows now that no matter what esteem he claims, he is not a certified health
physicist, and while a physician he does NOT (emphasis in the original)
examine or treat patients. He enjoys emeritus status at the University
of California at Berkeley, but has NO office, nor access to any laboratory or
library, and he teaches NO ONE! From what this Court can garner, it
appears that his principal activities are writing books and testifying in the
courtroom. . . .
. . . . Dr. Gofman represent(s) the views of an
extreme minority of scientists. This is not a situation where the
scientific community is equally divided between two respected schools of
thought. It is a case where there is a very small, but yet very vocal
group of scientists, including Dr. Gofman, that hold views which are not
considered credible by the experts in the field."
[cited from Silkwood v Kerr-McGee Corp. (1979, WD
Okla) 485 F Supp 566, 5 Fed Rules Evid Serv 765, 10 ELR 20708]
Jim Barnes
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, May 30, 2003 4:07 PM
Subject: Dr.Gofman--I just wonder..
Subj: Dr.Gofman--I just wonder..
Hello All Radsafers:
I rarely post here--but I thought I'd pose a few questions with big
question marks as some food for thought.
Dr. John W. Gofman--I just
wonder...
And just HOW LONG has Dr. Gofman been involved with radioactive
materials?
Wasn't he a CO-discoverer of one or another of the isotopes of
Pu?
Wasn't he one of the original Manhattan Engineering District (Project)
scientists?
Didn't he later go on to discover HDL/LDL?
And just WHO
are We to be taking pot shots at a career spanning five or six decades? Show
me those references to his discredit--if you please.
If you eliminate
the "No Level-Low Level" opinion, then there is certainly limited room for
"Hormesis" proclamation now is there?
Remember, Atoms for
Peace?
Sincerely,
L.H. Ricciuti,
Niagara Falls, New
York
Email: NiagaraNet@aol.com
--
*Niagara Falls, New York,
USA--was the free world's largest Uranium metal production center for the
entire Manhattan A-bomb Project and beyond.
How many of you HPs knew
that one? And yes, I have the citation.
---
The associated comments are
my own and do not represent those of the offices of NASA or any other
agency.
__
BELOW - GOFMAN, JOHN W. Vitae\partial
John
William Gofman is Professor Emeritus of Molecular and Cell Biology in the
University of California at Berkeley, and Lecturer at the Department of
Medicine, University of California School of Medicine at San
Francisco.
He is the author of several books and more than a hundred
scientific papers in peer-review journals in the fields of
nuclear / physical chemistry, coronary heart disease, ultracentrifugal
analysis of the serum lipoproteins, the relationship of human chromosomes to
cancer, and the biological effects of radiation, with especial reference to
causation of cancer and hereditary injury.
A Narrative Chronology
While a graduate student at Berkeley, Gofman co-discovered protactinium-232,
uranium-232, protactinium-233, and uranium-233, and proved the slow and fast
neutron fissionability of uranium-233. Post-doctorally, he continued work
related to the chemistry of plutonium and the atomic bomb development. At that
early period, less than a quarter of a milligram of plutonium-239 existed, but
a half-milligram was urgently needed for physical measurements in the
Manhattan Project. At the request of J. Robert Oppenheimer, Gofman and Robert
Connick irradiated a ton of uranyl nitrate by placing it around the Berkeley
cyclotron (to capture neutrons), for a total exposure period of six weeks,
with operation night and day. In 110 Gilman Hall, they scaled up Gofman's
previous test-tube-sized sodium uranyl acetate process for the plutonium's
chemical extraction. Dissolving 10-pound batches of the "hot" ton in big Pyrex
jars, and working around the clock with the help of eight or ten others, they
reduced the ton to a half cc of liquid containing 1.2 milligrams of plutonium
(twice as much as expected). After the plutonium work, Gofman completed
medical school. In 1947, he began his research on coronary heart disease and,
by developing special flotation ultracentrifugal techniques, he and his
colleagues demonstrated the existence of diverse low-density lipoproteins
(LDL) and high-density lipoproteins (HDL). Their work on lipoprotein chemistry
and health consequences included the first prospective studies demonstrating
that high LDL levels represent a risk-factor for coronary heart disease and
that low HDL levels represent a risk-factor for coronary heart disease. His
principal book on the heart disease research is Coronary Heart Disease
(1959, Charles C. Thomas, Publisher).
----
*Ironically or not, Niagara
County, Niagara Falls, New York, has the highest heart disease rate in the
nation. There is over one million pounds of U buried there from past MED/AEC
activities. Other, additional unadressed burials remain. Go figure.
Dr.
Gofman links long term low level exposures to heart disease. Again, go
figure.
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