The Petkau Effect

[Gary Schroeder <schroede@mail.sep.bnl.gov>]

Paul Charp said:

>Radsafers -- I am looking for any information regarding the work of
>Abram Petgau.  I am not too sure if this is the correct spelling.
>Apparently, this individual in 1990 discovered "immediate cell damage
>from very low loses of low lever internal contamination."  The quotes
>are from a citizen complaint regarding disposal of radioactive waste
>within a particular area of Denver.

The correct spelling is "Petkau", who worked for the Canadian Atomic Energy
Laboratories Medical Biophysics Branch.  In the early 70's he studied the
effect of sodium-22 radiations on "model" cell membranes, which is to say
not actual biological membranes, but an analogue substitute.  My references
indicate that the March, '72 issue of the HP Journal contains an article
pertaining to this study.  

Petkau's work is often trotted out by Ernest Sternglass and his devotees to
"prove" that low-level radiation is far more damaging than is believed.
Sterngalss, referring to Petkau said in a May, 1974 NY Times op piece that
"these studies now explain the earlier findings of surprisingly large
health effects on human and animal populations exposed to low levels of
fallout as an indirect chemical effect of radiation on cell membranes
rather than in terms of direct action to the genes in a nucleus of a cell".

I have all this info on Petkau because someone here tried to use the same
research against us.  I wonder what Petkau himself has to say about how his
work has been used in the least 20 years.  One reference I have (authored
by Petkau) states that "the extension of the sodium-22 data to radioactive
gasses and liquids, in general, is a gross extrapolation".

Hopes this helps.


=======================
Gary L. Schroeder
Brookhaven National Laboratory
Environmental Protection Office
gs1@bnl.gov