Re: NPR piece

[MCNELLY ROBERT <mcnelly@spot.Colorado.EDU>]

Hello, I an but a new Health Physicist (Colorado-Boulder may not agree to
my note)
I get upset obout the health risks of radiation (10,000 deaths/year).
Radon daughter products in homes, may carry the same magnitude of heath
risks but the tests are simple, and remediation is simple. 50,000 auto
deaths a year is better to worry about the the cost/benifit of power
plants (be they nucler or coal fired), Lets get real about radon or auto
accidents, or being 20-30 pounds over weight. and leave the power plants
alone since to change the radioactive emissions will cause large costs.
Attacking other risks with no benifits seems prudent. Myself, I'd like to
make sure my children don't smoke (tar & radionuclides.) And drive safely.
Thank You, Bob McNelly mcnelly@spot.Colorado.EDU

On Mon, 26 Aug 1996, Bernard L Cohen wrote:

> 
> 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
> >  
> > 
>