Re: Hopkins Thesis Availability/Coverup Thread- Response #4 to Holloway

[RADPROJECT@aol.com]

In a message dated 2/4/99 2:01:11 AM Eastern Standard Time, Holloway3@aol.com
writes:

<< Mr. Farber:
 
 As someone noted previously, your posts are often not very clear on the
points
 that you are trying to make.  Communication is a two way street, and if you
 want to be understood, you have some responsibility to write clearly.  When
 asked a question for clarification, it is not enough to say, as you have,
"re-
 read the previous post". >>

I try never to make unsupported claims about important issues.  Accordingly,
my posts supplied detailed information about Johns Hopkins issuing official
statements denying that research had been completed on the health effects of
Nasal Radium Irradiation. I also supplied the time line in my posts on the
subjects sufficient to support the point being made. 

When I asked Mr. Holloway, specifically to reread my earlier posts it was
because he had continued to ask the same question which I had answered
previously, both initially in a public post to RADSAFE, and in a detailed
private posts to him. Unfortunately,  he continued to divert attention from
the important information being posted on the mounting evidence of significant
health effects on children treated with Nasal Radium Irradiation, by posing
questions already answered on numerous occasions. I admit my patience with his
posts on this matter has worn thin.

The facts show Hopkins has tried to keep the information contained in the Yeh,
1997 thesis [accepted and submitted in June 1997] out of public view by
denying, in response to multiple direct questions from reporters, that the
research was completed and has not discussed the findings with the public.
Hopkins'  having kept the Yeh thesis completion quiet from August 1997 to June
1998 when at least 5 reporters asked them the status of research, is
interesting, but not the main point of my posts. 

My main point is that there is a growing body of epidemiological data showing
significant adverse health effects of Nasal Radium Irradiation [NRI]  in
individuals treated as children. The fact that NRI treatments were used on
about 1,000,000 American children [as well as children in England and Europe]
makes this an issue that should be receiving careful, accurate, in-depth
examination by radiation protection professionals and public health agencies.
This is not happening.

I find the unwillingness, or inability, of several RADSAFE members to take the
trouble to read and understand the content, never mind the implications, of my
posts on the subject of NRI health risks quite unexpected and disappointing.
One post yesterday [Date:	2/3/99 from schwahn@jlab.org -(Scott Schwahn)] chose
to nitpick my placement of commas in a long sentence which I have dashed off
in responding to a question from Mr. Holloway which was answered in an
original post, re-answered in a private post, only to have to re-answer it
because the same party was asking the same question again and again. The point
of my sentence was clear in its context.

Posts diverting attention from the real issues being raised about health
effects on from 571,000 to 2,600,000 children [per CDC estimates of number
treated with NRI], and in the most highly regarded public health academic
institution in the US not providing accurate information to children, now-
grown, who received "unusual head and neck irradiation" from Nasal Radium
Irradiation should be reserved for private mail to me. If someone wants to
question sentence structure, spelling, or the content of earlier posts please
write me directly and don't clutter the mailboxes of RADSAFE readers so they
miss more important information.

BTW, my post about the Boston Globe article to RADSAFE:
 <A HREF="http://www.boston.com/globe/magazine/1-31/featurestory1.shtml/";>
Click here: Boston.com / Boston Globe Magazine</A>

["Worse than the disease"] in the Sunday Boston Globe Magazine for Jan. 31,
1999 concerning the use of Nasal Radium Irradiation on children and veterans
turned up two 50 mg Monel metal radium sources in an ENT clinic. Most US
treatments were bilateral, with each treatment on children being 12 minutes
duration, repeated 3 to 4 times separated by about 2 weeks. I am arranging to
have these newly found Monel sources characterized as to their beta and gamma
dosimetry at NIST. Because of their very unique design [0.3 mm Monel "filter"
or capsule wall thickness] most of the dose on contact to 1 cm tissue depth
delivered is from various beta emissions. The contact dose is calculated at no
less than 2,000 rad [see Farber, "Radium Exposure in US Military Personnel",
New England Journal of Medicine, 1/2/92], although measurements made in 1949
and published by one researcher found contact doses of 13,300 rad for the
standard treatment protocol [3 twelve minute irradiations]. Characterizing the
three dimensional beta dose from these sources by modern techniques will be a
big step in performing any dose-response calculations from the practice of
NRI.

For at least 15 years, NRI was the treatment of choice for ENTs across the US
in treating middle ear problems in young children and adults due to enlarged
adenoids and tonsils. Given what we now know about the likely effects on
health of this earlier misdirected radiation treatment for a benign condition
in children, it is our obligation as radiation protection professionals to
carefully evaluate the issue, and take actions to protect the health of the
large population at risk. [I hope there are enough commas in the preceding
sentence to make its meaning clear]. There is also a potential for a uniquely
powerful epidemiological study since the practice of NRI was so common and
widespread.

I look forward to a meaningful exchange of information with RADSAFE members on
this matter. I hope we all agree to read earlier posts before posting
irrelevant and unsupported questions. We need to avoid debating minor details
like the number of commas when there are major radiation protection, public
health, and ethical issues being raised whic we all need to consider.


Stewart Farber, MS Public Health
Director - Radium Experiment Assessment Project [REAP]
Consulting Scientist
Public Health Sciences
19 Stuart St.
Pawtucket, RI 02860

Phone/FAX: (401) 727-4947  E-mail: radproject@usa.net
            Web address: http://www.delphi.com/carsreap


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