RE: Help! Sternglass and Gofman References -Reply

[Charles Willis <CAW@nrc.gov>]

Mike, Jim, and others who might be interested:

I do not believe you will find peer-reviewed articles addressing the Gofman &
Sternglass contentions.  There are responses to these junk science pieces by
Mancuso, Steve Wing, Jay Gould, etc., but they are seldom peer-reviewed.  The
best you are likely to find is in the BEIR and UNSCEAR reports.

For me,  the best approach seems to be to go to the documents reporting what is,
rather than those saying what is wrong with these irresponsible reports.  For
example, there is the NCI study which found  "no suggestion that nuclear facilities
may be linked causally with deaths from leukemia or other cancers." [National
Institutes of Health publication 90-874, 1990].  Then there is the combined worker
study, which found no adverse health effects in the radiation workers of the UK, the
US and Canada [E. Cardis, et al., Radiation Research, 142, pp 117-132, 1995].  Of
course, excess cancer deaths are reported in the RERF reports but the numbers
are smaller than one might expect [ Pierce, D. A., et al., Radiation Research, 146,
pp 1-27, 1996].  Finally, there are the major review and assessment reports:
BEIR-V and UNSCEAR 1993 and '94.  While arguments are made that the review
reports are overly conservative, they frequently serve as a best resort  in
confrontational situations.  Of course, I like Al Brodsky's latest book "Radiation
Risks and Uranium Toxicity," RSA Publications, 1996.

Good luck.

Charlie Willis
caw@nrc.gov