Re: Babies Affected by Dads' X-Ray Exams

["MIKE RUSSELL" <russelmj@songs.sce.com>]

One would be hard pressed to find a weaker study than this one.  

Levels of gonadal exposure was based on questionnaires.

The confounding factor of men getting x-rayed versus those who were not.

The non-significant differences in birth weight, 7.4 versus 7.5 pounds.

And the topper:  when only considering x-rays performed within one year of 
concention -- no difference in birth weight.

And the conclusion to these inconsistent and insignificant results:  
more study is necessary.

You've got to be kidding.   


Mike Russell

NEW YORK (Reuters) -- Fathers whose testes are exposed to medical
x-rays close to the time their child is conceived may be more likely
to have a baby whose growth is adversely affected, results of a new
study suggest. 

These findings only indicate a "downward trend in birth weight and
fetal growth" in these babies, but the researchers say that although
that trend is not statistically significant, further study "seems
justified." 

For full details, see the articel at the following URL:

http://www.yahoo.com/headlines/970317/health/stories/father_1.html

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