RE: Radium -Reply -Reply

[rkathren@tricity.wsu.edu (Ron L. Kathren)]

Please note that I did not suggest that Mme Curie was in fact suffering from
leukemia, but rather that the data available simply do not permit a
definitive assertion either way (how's that for  bureaucratic language?).

And, to agree with my old friend Charlie re the lack of excess leukemia in
radium dial painters; that is apparent from the several studies that were
done and are summarized in Rowlan d's recent monograph, "Radium in Humans",
p. 99.  However, an argument could also be made that any excess leukemia
would have been masked by the high proportion of osteosarcomas in the
cohort.  The point is 1) that we should look at all reasonable possible
explanations and 2) the data are really insufficient to make a definitive
conclusion, so whether or not she suffered from leukemia is merely speculation.

But, as Charlie says, it is indeed interesting.  And, I think, a valuable
professional discourse (certainly someone will disagree with that
assertion!!!!).

Ron Kathren





At 06:21 PM 10/8/98 -0500, Charles Willis wrote:
>I do not believe Ron Kathren and I have any real disagreement on the Mme. Curie
>dose issue, although I would be a bit more reluctant to suggest that she
might have
>had leukemia.  It is not something that can be known, but I believe the
odds are
>against it.  Even among the more highly exposed A bomb survivors, only
about ten
>percent have had leukemia.  Also, I seem to recall there was little or no
excess
>leukemia among the radium dial painters.
>
>It is interesting.
>
>Charlie Willis
>caw@nrc.gov
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