Re: RE: History of X-Rays

[LIPTONW@dteenergy.com]

I remember seeing Rosalie Bertell speak at a meeting of the American Public 
Health Association, in NY City, in November 1979 (I'm showing my age!).  She 
presented the paper, "Maternal/Child Health Effects From Radioactive
Particles 
in Milk, Wisconsin 1963-1975."  Looking thru my files, I still have a copy.  
This seems to be an "ecological", epidemeology study, which attempts to 
correlate Sr-90 in milk, allegedly from the Prairie Island, Monticello, 
Kewaunee, and LaCrosse nuclear power plants, with immature infant mortality 
rates.  It concludes that, "...based on information now available to
Wisconsin 
citizens, that pollution from fission products is most likely increasing the 
mortality rates for immature infants in Wisconsin..." She seemed to ignore
the 
obvious issue that correlation is NOT cause and effect.  Beyond that,
however, 
I remember that Gerry Parker, the Director of the Massacusetts Dept. of 
Radiological Health, asked her what statistical test she had used to
determine 
that the immature infant mortality rates are significantly greater in those 
areas near the plants compared to the control areas.  She stated that she 
doesn't need a statistical test; she knows when the data is significant.   
 
Oh, well; the more things change the more things stay the same. 
 
The opinions expressed are strictly mine. 
It's not about dose, it's about trust. 
 
Bill Lipton 
liptonw@dteeenergy.com 
 
You wrote: 
 
>I got to see Dr. Bertell in person in about 1987 where she obliquely 
>advanced the concept that AIDS was caused by exposure to radiation.  She 
>denied making such a claim when she was asked a direct question after her 
>lecture.   Of course others have now been willing to make the claim 
>directly. 
 
>In her book she claims that background radiation is increasing and that the 
>main reason is that radon is beign released when natural gas is burned. 
 
>Don Kosloff>dkosloff@ncweb.com
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