Re: Implicit Assumptions in the Cassini and Other Threads

[Andy Hull <hull@mail.sep.bnl.gov>]

Gerry,
There have been numerous commentaries/rebuttals to all of them, too numerous
to go into in detail on RADSAFE.  A useful starting place might be:
"Some Claims of Unusually Large Effects of Radiation" by E. Klema, A.
Shilab-Edin and R. Wilson, Dept. of Physics, Harvard University (1989).
My copy does not have a document number, but a Mailing Address:
Richard Wilson, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, Ph. 617-495-3387,
Bitnet%"Wilson@HUHEPL".
 
Andy

t 10:00 AM 10/8/97 -0500, you wrote:
>
>     Dear RADSAFERS,
>     
>     Implicit in these discussions are assumptions about the effects of low 
>     level radiation.
>     
>     Now, forgive me if I'm beating an old dead horse.  How does one 
>     respond to Gofman, Sternglass, Gould, Morgan and others?  I know that 
>     each of them have different rationales for their views, but they can't 
>     be dismissed as cranks.  For example, I find Gofman's credentials 
>     impressive.....I know that credentials are not a guarantee of 
>     credibility.  At the moment, I'm looking at a 1990 Gofamn publication, 
>     "Radiation Induced Cancer from Low-Dose Exposure". Just quoting august 
>     bodies as proof against their agruments doesn't seem scientific to me.
>     
>     From a radiobilogical standpoint, I've heard the Petkau effect being 
>     used as a basis for saying low dose/dose rate is more hazardous than 
>     we think.  I've seen the Petkau paper from Health Physics published in 
>     1972, but my radbio isn't good enough to say if his results can be 
>     extrapolated to real effects.
>     
>     In short, I'm asking are there any good references that rebut the 
>     claims of the *scientific* analysts that say that low level radiation 
>     is more harmful than the rest of us think?  Has there been a 
>     scientific and published debate concerning these issues? Or have these 
>     people a personal/emotional issue that have caused them to take their 
>     positions about the hazards of radiation?
>     
>     Jerry Falo
>     gerald_falo@chppm-ccmail.apgea.army.mil
>     
>     All opinions expressed here are mine alone.......
>
>
>
>