Re: Paper on Taiwan Co-60 Apartment Exposures

[John Jacobus <crispy_bird@YAHOO.COM>]

As someone pointed out to me, ". . . remember, this

was not a "study" which was carefully designed and

carefully carried out.  This was a "serendipitous"

experiment which yielded some very unexpected

findings."



The exposured individuals need to be matched with a

cohort population.  The claims are base on the

comparing the exposed population to the cancer risks

to the GENERAL population of Taiwan.  If you have read

anything about epidemiological studies, confounding

factors need to be considered.  For example, there is

less cancer incidences in a young population than an

older one.



I do look forward to a more detailed study of the

data.



--- Jim Hoerner <jim_hoerner@HOTMAIL.COM> wrote:

> Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons Volume 9

> Number 1 Spring 2004

> 

> Is Chronic Radiation an Effective Prophylaxis

> Against Cancer?

> 

> W.L. Chen, Y.C. Luan, M.C. Shieh, S.T. Chen, H.T.

> Kung,

> K.L. Soong, Y.C. Yeh, T.S. Chou, S.H. Mong, J.T. Wu,

> C.P. Sun,W.P. Deng,M.F.Wu, M.L. Shen

> 

> ABSTRACT

> An extraordinary incident occurred 20 years ago in

> Taiwan.

> Recycled steel, accidentally contaminated with

> cobalt-60 (half-life:

> 5.3 y), was formed into construction steel for more

> than 180

> buildings, which 10,000 persons occupied for 9 to 20

> years. They

> unknowingly received radiation doses that averaged

> 0.4 Svóa

> ìcollective doseî of 4,000 person-Sv.

> 

> Based on the observed seven cancer deaths, the

> cancer

> mortality rate for this population was assessed to

> be 3.5 per

> 100,000 person-years. Three children were born with

> congenital

> heart malformations, indicating a prevalence rate of

> 1.5 cases per

> 1,000 children under age 19.

> 

> The average spontaneous cancer death rate in the

> general

> population of Taiwan over these 20 years is 116

> persons per

> 100,000 person-years. Based upon partial official

> statistics and

> hospital experience, the prevalence rate of

> congenital

> malformation is 23 cases per 1,000 children.

> Assuming the age and

> income distributions of these persons are the same

> as for the

> general population, it appears that significant

> beneficial health

> effects may be associated with this chronic

> radiation exposure.

> 

> The findings of this study are such a departure from

> expectations, based on International Commission on

> Radiological

> Protection (ICRP) criteria, that we believe that

> they ought to be

> carefully reviewed by other, independent

> organizations and that

> population data not available to the authors be

> provided, so that a

> fully qualified, epidemiologically valid analysis

> can be made. Many

> of the confounding factors that limit other studies

> used to date, such

> as those of the A-bomb survivors, the Mayak workers,

> and the

> Chernobyl evacuees, are not present in this

> population exposure. It

> should be one of the most important events on which

> to base

> radiation-protection standards.

> 

> The data on reduced cancer mortality and congenital

> malformations are compatible with the phenomenon of

> radiation

> hormesis, an adaptive response of biological

> organisms to low

> levels of radiation stress or damageña modest

> overcompensation

> to a disruptionñresulting in improved fitness.

> Recent assessments

> of more than a century of data have led to the

> formulation of a wellfounded

> scientific model of this phenomenon.

> 

> The experience of these 10,000 persons suggests that

> longterm

> exposure to radiation, at a dose rate of the order

> of 50 mSv (5

> rem) per year, greatly reduces cancer mortality,

> which is a major

> cause of death in North America. Medical scientists

> and

> organizations may wish to seriously assess this and

> other current

> evidence in deciding whether chronic radiation could

> be an

> effective agent for enhancing defenses against

> cancer.

> 

> Full paper at http://tinyurl.com/362ca

> Archived at 

>

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Know_Nukes/files/hormesis_taiwan_apartments.pdf

> [170 kB pdf]

> 

> --

> Hold the door for the stranger behind you. When the

> driver in the adjacent 

> lane signals to get over, slow down. Smile and say

> "hi" to the folks you 

> pass on the sidewalk. Give blood. Volunteer.

> 

>

_________________________________________________________________

> Free up your inbox with MSN Hotmail Extra Storage!

> Multiple plans available. 

>

http://join.msn.com/?pgmarket=en-us&page=hotmail/es2&ST=1/go/onm00200362ave/direct/01/

> 

>

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

> 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. You can view the Radsafe

> archives at

> http://www.vanderbilt.edu/radsafe/

> 





=====

+++++++++++++++++++

""A fanatic is one who cannot change his mind and won't change the subject."  Winston Churchill



-- John

John Jacobus, MS

Certified Health Physicist

e-mail:  crispy_bird@yahoo.com



__________________________________

Do you Yahoo!?

Yahoo! Small Business $15K Web Design Giveaway 

http://promotions.yahoo.com/design_giveaway/

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

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. You can view the Radsafe archives at

http://www.vanderbilt.edu/radsafe/