Oxygen, cancer, etc.

[Franz Schönhofer <franz.schoenhofer@CHELLO.AT>]

Hi all,



Here is another comment of the sort "His comments are appear (I simply

copy the original sentence and do not correct it) rude and are usually

devoid of content." (Copyright Stephen Frantz.)





I have to confess that I do not believe everything which is published in

"Science". An inverse relationship between altitude and cancer incidence

does not prove any relationship with oxygen concentrations, regarding

the wide range of possible cofounders. We have heard on RADSAFE that the

concentration of oxygen remains the same, only the amount available per

volume breath decreases with increasing elevation. Some people even use

the increased cosmic ray dose to claim a prove for hormesis. 



Dietary anti-oxidants: Who has ever proved a reduction of "cancer"

incidences for the use of vitamin E? As I pointed out in a previous

posting the detrimental radicals are formed by interaction of radiation

and water molecules - no oxygen involved. I hardly believe that vitamin

E is available in all cells after administering it orally and especially

in high enough concentrations to scavenge radicals. 



"Cancer": Which kind of cancers are we talking about since many days?

Not being an expert I believe to know that different cancers have

different causes. Is it lung cancer? Is it cancer of the thyroid? Is it

bone cancer? 



As Ruth pointed correctly out, staying a higher elevation may cause skin

cancer - this is not speculation, but a proven fact, especially for

people who live in South America at very high altitudes! And we know

that it is the UV which causes this cancer - not ionizing radiation or

oxygen.



So again: What kind of cancers?



Though I do not believe in the story of oxygen being a cancerogen I know

for sure, that a huge number of substances in this world can cause

either good or bad - starting from the most simple things like water -

one needs it for life and one can drown in it. Drugs can save your life

or they can kill you. Oxygen is necessary to live, but pure oxygen can

(and has) cause(d) the death of divers. 



I think we should differentiate much more in the question of reasons for

cancer.



Best regards,



Franz

 



Franz Schoenhofer

PhD, MR iR

Habicherg. 31/7

A-1160 Vienna

AUSTRIA

phone -43-0699-1168-1319





> -----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----

> Von: owner-radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu [mailto:owner-

> radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu] Im Auftrag von jjcohen

> Gesendet: Montag, 20. Dezember 2004 19:36

> An: Bradshaw, Keith; radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu

> Betreff: Re: AW: Denver, BEWARE!

> 

> Several years ago, Daniel Koshland, chairman of AAAS & editor  of

> SCIENCE,

> published an article implicating oxygen as a mild carcinogen. In this

> article, he noted the inverse relationship between altitude and cancer

> incidence and postulated that increased oxygen tension increased

levels of

> free radicals which tend to have  carcinogenic effects.[That is why

> dietary

> anti-oxidants, such as vitamin E are recommended for avoiding cancer).

Of

> course, OTOH, oxygen is necessary for life. Many people have trouble

with

> the concept that the same substance can simultaneously cause both

> beneficial

> and harmful effects. That is likely that is why Radiation Hormesis has

> such

> problems gaining acceptance.

> 

> 





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