Re: NPR piece

[Bernard L Cohen <blc+@pitt.edu>]

On Sun, 25 Aug 1996, John Goldsmith wrote:

> Dear Dr. Cohen:
>      I  can understand your distress at the NPR reporting.  Objecting as 
> a scientist  carries a committment to be accurate as to facts.
> Your allegation that tens of thousands of deaths are due to fossil fueled
> power stations is not supported by factual data, nor would it be agreed 
> to by most environmental epidemiologists.  However, this latter is 
> my opinion,  and not a fact. 

---My statement is supported by many scientific references, many listed in
my book "The Nuclear Energy Option". Perhaps the most important is the
Harvard Study by Spengler, Ozkaynak, et al sponsored by DOE under
management of Nat Barr who, I believe, was a former colleague of yours.
The latest reference I have is Environmental Health Perspectives 63, 45ff
(1985), but I have seen later papers by them on this. Another good
supporting reference is the book by R. Wilson et al, "Health Effects of
Fossil Fuel Burning", Ballinger Publishing Co (1980).
	That is about air pollution only. In addition, I have published
analyses of the effects of chemical and radiological solid wastes released
from coal burning-- Health Physics 40, 19ff (1981) -- showing that each of
these causes well over 10,000 eventual deaths per year (based on linear-
no threshold theory). No one has ever written or told me about objections
to those calculations.
	To the best of my knowledge, I have never ever published
"allegations that are not supported by factual data" and would never
consider doing so. In my writings for laymen, I have never presented
material that is not supported by the consensus of the scientific
community, to the best of my knowledge. I have had several contacts with
prominent epidemiologists on the effects of air pollution from coal
burning plants, and they seemed comfortable with the numbers I quoted.
	I take my obligations to scientific ethics very seriously, so if
anyone can point out situations where they believe I have compromised
them, please let's discuss these situations. I can assure you in advance
that they were unintentional.
		--B.L. Cohen (blc+@pitt.edu)

 > John R. Goldsmith, M.D., M.P.H., Professor
> Department of Epidemiology and Health Services Evaluation, Ben Gurion 
> University of the Negv
>  
>