Re[3]: Chernobyl Health Study Findings (fwd)

[maay100@bgumail.bgu.ac.il (Quastel)]

        In answer to Dr. Field's message of 27 April, I must point out that
we would never claim that the stress reactions seen in the people who used
to live near Chernobyl have anything do to per se with radiation. It must
be realized that these people have gone through a very difficult time,
caused by displacement from their homes, separation of family members, and
by major economic failures associated with the political changes in the the
region. The finding that there appears to be an association with areas of
radiocontamination is more likely to result from their perception of
radiation exposure, rather than to any biophysical effect of ionizing
radiation.

                                Michael R. Quastel MD PhD
                                Head, Institute of Nuclear Medicine
                                Soroka Medical Center
                                Faculty of Health Sciences
                                Ben Gurion University of the Negev
                                Beer Sheva, Israel
                                Fax 972-7-274696
                                E-mail: maay100@bgumail.bgu.ac.il