Re: Limited radiation exposure may actually benefit health

[John Jacobus <crispy_bird@YAHOO.COM>]

No.  I cannot.  And neither did those professionals

who analyzed and reanalyzed the data.  It is the

amateur epidemiologist who find all of the beneficial

effects.  Why do suppose that is?  A political agenda?



--- Howard Long <hflong@pacbell.net> wrote:

> John,

> If you trust NSWS to show LDR did no harm, then you

> should also trust the

> 0.76 all-cause mortality of workers with > 0.5 rem

> extra vs similar workers

> not exposed, to demonstrate BENEFIT (p= 0.0009).

> 

> Howard Long

> 

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

> From: "John Jacobus" <crispy_bird@YAHOO.COM>

> To: "Susan Gawarecki" <loc@icx.net>; "RadSafe"

> <radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu>

> Sent: Wednesday, April 07, 2004 5:40 AM

> Subject: Re: Limited radiation exposure may actually

> benefit health

> 

> 

> > I think there is a big difference between saying

> that

> > low level, low dose-rate radiation has no

> demonstrated

> > effect and saying that it is beneficial.

> >

> > The purpose of the DOE shipyard study was to

> > demonstrate no exposure effects, which it did. 

> The

> > study did not demonstrate a benefit from

> exposures.

> >

> > --- Susan Gawarecki <loc@icx.net> wrote:

> > > Here's a newspaper article that puts a positive

> > > light on radiation.  I

> > > think I've heard of this guy somewhere

> before....

> > >

> > > --Susan Gawarecki

> > >

> > > Limited radiation exposure may actually benefit

> > > health

> > > By JOHN CAMERON

> > > Gainesville Sun

> > > April 05. 2004 6:01AM

> > >

> > > Studies have shown that radiation from nuclear

> power

> > > can actually be good.

> > >

> > > he Three Mile Island (TMI) Nuclear power

> accident in

> > > March 1979 is still

> > > remembered. Many people still have a fear of

> things

> > > nuclear. The average

> > > person has never learned that there was no real

> > > danger to the public

> > > during the TMI accident.

> > >

> > > The important aspect of the TMI accident was

> that

> > > the safety features

> > > worked. The reinforced concrete building kept

> nearly

> > > all the

> > > radioactivity safely inside. The small amount

> that

> > > escaped probably

> > > improved the health of those who got some of it,

> as

> > > you will learn

> > > later. The Chernobyl nuclear accident was much

> worse

> > > because it didn't

> > > have those safety features.

> > >

> > > The fear of nuclear radiation is a fear of the

> > > unknown. We need to

> > > educate the public that low-level radiation,

> such as

> > > we all get from

> > > nature, is beneficial if we get enough of it.

> There

> > > is good evidence

> > > from government-funded studies that we need more

> > > radiation for good health.

> > >

> > > It is a shame that most people still believe

> that

> > > even a little

> > > radiation may cause cancer. The government has

> not

> > > told the public that

> > > we need more radiation for good health

> discovered

> > > with over $10 million

> > > of taxpayer's money.

> > >

> > > Natural radioactivity in our body hits millions

> of

> > > our cells every

> > > minute, billions of our cells every day and

> > > trillions of cells every

> > > year. Our cells are also bombarded by more

> radiation

> > > from external

> > > natural radioactivity in the environment and

> from

> > > cosmic rays.

> > >

> > > External radiation can easily be measured with a

> > > Geiger counter. When I

> > > fly, my Geiger counter indicates about ten times

> > > more radiation than on

> > > the ground.

> > >

> > > A government study in 1973 showed that people in

> our

> > > mountain states are

> > > exposed to 300 percent more natural radiation

> than

> > > people in the Gulf

> > > States. However, the cancer death rate in the

> Gulf

> > > States is 25 percent

> > > greater. That is, an increase in radiation does

> not

> > > increase the risk of

> > > cancer.

> > >

> > > The average dose from medical x-rays in the

> United

> > > States is much less

> > > than we get from nature, so you can stop

> worrying

> > > about that also. The

> > > results of two radiation studies show that we

> need

> > > more radiation for

> > > good health.

> > >

> > > In 1980-1988, the U.S. Department of Energy

> (DOE)

> > > studied the health of

> > > 28,000 U.S. nuclear shipyard workers who had

> > > received the largest

> > > radiation doses. Their health was compared to

> 32,500

> > > shipyard workers

> > > with the same ages and same jobs, but who didn't

> > > work on nuclear

> > > propelled ships. The DOE expected to see an

> increase

> > > in cancer among the

> > > nuclear workers. Instead they found a 15 percent

> > > decrease. The results

> > > of this important study have yet to be published

> or

> > > told to the public.

> > >

> > > The increased radiation apparently stimulated

> the

> > > immune system of the

> > > nuclear workers. The nuclear workers are living

> > > about three years longer

> > > than the unexposed workers. I know about the

> nuclear

> > > shipyard worker

> > > study because I was one of eight scientists that

> > > supervised the study

> > > from 1980-1988.

> > >

> > > The earliest radiation workers were the doctors

> who

> > > used x-rays. The

> > > 100-year study of British radiologists (British

> > > Journal of Radiology

> > > June 2001) showed that the earliest radiologists

> > > (1897-1920) had a 75

> > > percent increase in cancer compared to other

> English

> > > doctors. There is

> > > no doubt that large radiation doses caused the

> > > increased cancer.

> > >

> > > After 1920 British radiologists were more

> careful

> > > and never again had a

> > > significant excess of cancer compared to other

> > > English doctors. That is,

> > > their radiation dose did not exceed the high

> level

> > > that can cause

> > > cancer. This is also known from a 1974 study of

> the

> > > radium dial painters.

> > >

> > > Recent English radiologists (1955-1979) have

> less

> > > cancer and are living

> > > over three years longer than other doctors. That

> is

> 

=== message truncated ===





=====

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

"Those who have not known the joy of standing up for a great cause of justice have not known what makes living worthwhile."

Paul Painleve, regarding the Dreyfus Affair, 1895



-- John

John Jacobus, MS

Certified Health Physicist

e-mail:  crispy_bird@yahoo.com



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