Re: Article on radiation fear and disaster response.

[maury <maury@webtexas.com>]

There must be no limit on inventing ways to make mountains out of molehills

irrespective of an infinity of vehicles. Another case in point follows:

______________  Begin article ____________

Translation, article in Svenska Dagbladet, September 2, 2002



Fantasies about mobile phones



During the past few days, warnings were sounded intensely by a research group

about the use of NMT mobile telephones causing brain tumors. This resulted in

major media coverage and the percentage of people who consider that they are

concerned about mobile phone usage and who voted on the websites of the morning

dailies has increased markedly. Up to 60 percent of those who voted are now

afraid of mobile telephones. Considering the urgency of this issue, since the

majority of the Swedish population uses mobile telephones, we want to provide

some background facts in the matter.



The warnings are from a research group that purposely during the past 20 years

has consistently sounded the alarm about various hazards.

This includes defoliants (Agent Orange) and lymph cancer, sweeteners and cancer,

dioxins and cancer, blue cement houses and cancer, alcohol and cancer, breast

feeding and cancer, electromagnetic fields and cancer, electrostatic fields and

various illnesses and now, of course, the mobile telephone.s radio waves and

cancer.  A review of warnings in the media show that the same research group has

issued warnings more than 100 times about various matters.



In most cases, these warnings have later proven to lack any explicit

significance for health. Consequently, all the researchers that do not sound the

alarm could then ask if it is the warning that is the goal of the activities of

the researchers in question.



Warnings attract heavy media coverage and as a result attention for the

researcher in question. For us, a consistent sounding of the alarm from one

research group results in reduced credibility. A review of the latest warning

shows that in a study involving a large number of brain tumor cases  there was

3.5 times greater risk for acoustic neurinoma (benign auditory nerve cancer) (38

persons in the case group) and a 30-percent generally higher risk for brain

tumors for individuals who use analog mobile telephones (NMT) in which the group

of acoustic neurinoma apparently provides the statistically significant result

in the overall comparison. In contrast, no increase in risk was noted for

persons who used digital or GSM telephones. This latter find is, of course,

interesting and indicates de facto just the opposite; that it could be totally

safe to use mobile phones with regard to the occurrence of cancer.



The actual study, which is purely epidemiological in nature, has a number of

shortfalls:

Brain tumors have many causes and development is affected by genetic, dietary

and environmental factors, as well as lifestyle, smoking, alcohol consumption,

etc. It is not possible to state without a doubt that it is NMT telephones that

are the cause since all confounding factors have not been taken into account.

The risk of contracting cancer, for example, is much higher for people living in

large cities than for those living in the country.



There is no known mechanism whereby low-frequency electromagnetic radiation,

that is, nonionizing radiation, .radio waves. and .microwaves. can affect cells.

The occurrence of cancer requires an effect at DNA level and this requires much

higher energy than what could be contained in the physical properties of the

actual radio waves.  The energy in the radiation is typically 10,000 times lower

that what is required to affect the weakest functioning bonding in cells, the

hydrogen bond. Telephones radiate some heat, both through tissue absorption of

radio waves and also as pure conductive heating since the battery and

electronics heat up. The volume of blood flow through the brain is very high and

dissipates most of the heat. A lengthy call can increase the temperature in the

head somewhat but higher temperature increases occur, for example, when standing

in the sun.



An epidemiological study always yields random deviations in distribution of

cases and controls in variables and every twentieth variable studied yields

statistical accuracy despite it being due to random selection. Accordingly, it

is difficult to determine what is the result of the random effect and what is

correct, particularly with few persons in each group, until the study is

replicated by other researchers. For example, the authors show in a

statistically confirmed correlation that persons who do not make calls on an NMT

telephone have a five times higher risk of developing one type of brain tumor

(unspecified glioma) than those who make calls on a mobile telephone.



The study contradicts the content of four international articles published

recently, including a large Danish study involving 420 000 mobile telephone

users, that shows no correlation between mobile telephony and various forms of

cancer, including brain cancer.

Laboratory animal studies carried out show that it is not possible to confirm

increased occurrence of cancer from the type of radiation from mobile

telephones.



We consider that it is not ethically or morally correct of the researchers to

release and issue warnings based on the scientific grounds that exist.

Accordingly, we consider that it is not possible to draw any conclusions

regarding a correlation between the use of mobile telephones and the occurrence

of cancer.



Björn Cedervall, associate professor, medical radiation biology, Karolinska

Institutet; Magnus Ingelman-Sundberg, professor, molecular toxicology,

Karolinska Institutet, and Hans Wiksell, professor, clinical applications of

electromagnetic and acoustic waves, Karolinska Institutet

------------------------------ end of article  -------------



Jaro wrote:



> John & co.,

>

> I re-posted the article on the Canadian nuclear listserv, and got an

> interesting - and I think quite valid - reply from a colleague (see below).

>

>  Jaro

> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

>

> http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/admin/emailfriend?contentId=A15666-

> 2003Sep15&sent=no&referrer=emailarticle

>  Radiation Chicken Little

>   By Theodore Rockwell

> <snip>

> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

>

> -----Original Message-----

> From: cdn-nucl-l-admin@informer2.cis.McMaster.CA

> [mailto:cdn-nucl-l-admin@informer2.cis.McMaster.CA]On Behalf Of Brown,

> Morgan

> Sent: Tuesday, September 16, 2003 2:41 PM

> To: multiple cdn

> Subject: RE: [cdn-nucl-l] FW: Article on radiation fear and disaster

> response.

>

> Interesting reading.  But I'm not sure if the statement "We don't treat

> other spills and leaks so fearfully" is necessarily true.  Do you remember

> the media noise surrounding the transformer being moved in northern Ontario

> in 1985, the one that leaked PCB-laced oil?

> http://www.chem.unep.ch/pops/POPs_Inc/proceedings/lusaka/BUCCINI2.html :

> "The first major incident occurred on April 13, 1985, when a PCB transformer

> that was being transported across Canada on a flat-bed truck



-------  snipped  ------------



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