Legacy of Chernobyl
Thyroid Cancer Rising in New York State
Thyroid Cancer Rising in New York State
Hos emmigranter från sovjetunionen 650 000 kommit efter
Tjernobyl
Ca 200 000 i NY city -
Svåra hälsoeffekter också
i NY –
Barn utvecklar
sköldkörtelcancer på några år
Piken för vuxna är 20 år
Den snabbast ökande
cancer i USA.
Dödligheten låg – bra
behandlingar
Läkarna tänker inte på
Tjernobyl och individerna förstår inte att de bör kolla sig.
-
Original Message -----
From: Xanthe Hall
Sent: Friday, December 14, 2007 9:53 AM
Subject: [abolition-caucus] Study on childhood
cancer near nuclear power plants
More Childhood Cancer Near Nuclear Power
Plants
German study
08/12/2007 The german section of IPPNW has initiated a study, which approves
that children under the age of five living near nuclear power stations have
contracted cancer at a greatly higher rate than the national average. The
study was paid for by the German Federal Radiation Protection Agency (BfS)
the government's main adviser on nuclear health. It was conducted by the
German Register of Child Cancer, an office in Mainz which is funded by the
16 German states and the federal Health Ministry.
The risk of cancer increased by 60 percent for children living less than
five kilometres (three miles) from a nuclear power plant, according to the
study. The risk was 117 percent higher when only leukemia was taken into
account.The study looked at statistics from between 1980 and 2003 in regions
near 21 reactors or former reactors. In those areas, 77 cases of cancer were
found among children under five, or a 60-percent increase over the national
average. Some 37 cases of leukemia were recorded instead of the average of
17.
"Our study confirms that in Germany a relationship is observable between the
proximity of the home to the nearest nuclear power plant at the time of
diagnosis and the risk of contracting cancer (respectively leukaemia) before
the child's fifth birthday," the researchers write.
One member of the expert commission that oversaw the study even considers
the conclusions to be understated. According to him, the data indicate an
increased risk of cancer for children in a radius of 50 kilometres.
It needed lobbying since 2001 by the local IPPNW section and more than
10,000 protest letters from the public authorities and ministries to get the
BfS to commission the study. The campaign was triggered by a study initiated
by the IPPNW and carried by Dr. Alfred Körblein (Environment Institute
Munich), which found significantly higher child cancer incidence near
Bavarian nuclear power stations.
The BfS commissioned its study to the Mainzer Kinderkrebsregister (Mainz
Child Cancer Register) in 2003.
«Now that the connection between increased cancer and leukaemia rates and
proximity of the residence to the nuclear power station has been
established, the causes of this must be further clarified immediately,»
IPPNW says in a media release.
«The population affected at nuclear power station locations must be examined
by suitable screening methods fast and comprehensively.»
«Given these massive findings at every German nuclear power station
location, a radiation-linked cause is highly likely in every case. Anyone
who now still talks of coincidence is making himself ridiculous,» writes Dr.
med. Angelika Claussen, chair of the German IPPNW.
«The precautionary principle enshrined in European environment law now
demands that the German nuclear power stations be switched off immediately.»
«The IPPNW demands that the environment ministry now greatly reduce the
obviously too lax upper limits for radioactive emissions from nuclear power
stations. From now on the burden of proof of cause of illness should no
longer have to be borne by parents, but conversely by the operators of the
nuclear installations.»
The BfS media release about its study in German:
http://www.bfs.de/en/bfs/presse/aktuell_press/Studie_Kernkraftwerke.html
More IPPNW background and chronology in German at www.ippnw-ulm.de
More on the topic: www.alfred-koerblein.de www.bfs.de
Contact: Reinhold Thiel, #49 0176-511 64 195 or #49 7346-8407,
Dr. med. Angelika Claussen, IPPNW Chair #49 521-15 22 13,
Henrik Paulitz, IPPNW expert on nuclear energy issues #49 621-3972-668.
German study
08/12/2007 The german section of IPPNW has initiated a study, which approves
that children under the age of five living near nuclear power stations have
contracted cancer at a greatly higher rate than the national average. The
study was paid for by the German Federal Radiation Protection Agency (BfS)
the government's main adviser on nuclear health. It was conducted by the
German Register of Child Cancer, an office in Mainz which is funded by the
16 German states and the federal Health Ministry.
The risk of cancer increased by 60 percent for children living less than
five kilometres (three miles) from a nuclear power plant, according to the
study. The risk was 117 percent higher when only leukemia was taken into
account.The study looked at statistics from between 1980 and 2003 in regions
near 21 reactors or former reactors. In those areas, 77 cases of cancer were
found among children under five, or a 60-percent increase over the national
average. Some 37 cases of leukemia were recorded instead of the average of
17.
"Our study confirms that in Germany a relationship is observable between the
proximity of the home to the nearest nuclear power plant at the time of
diagnosis and the risk of contracting cancer (respectively leukaemia) before
the child's fifth birthday," the researchers write.
One member of the expert commission that oversaw the study even considers
the conclusions to be understated. According to him, the data indicate an
increased risk of cancer for children in a radius of 50 kilometres.
It needed lobbying since 2001 by the local IPPNW section and more than
10,000 protest letters from the public authorities and ministries to get the
BfS to commission the study. The campaign was triggered by a study initiated
by the IPPNW and carried by Dr. Alfred Körblein (Environment Institute
Munich), which found significantly higher child cancer incidence near
Bavarian nuclear power stations.
The BfS commissioned its study to the Mainzer Kinderkrebsregister (Mainz
Child Cancer Register) in 2003.
«Now that the connection between increased cancer and leukaemia rates and
proximity of the residence to the nuclear power station has been
established, the causes of this must be further clarified immediately,»
IPPNW says in a media release.
«The population affected at nuclear power station locations must be examined
by suitable screening methods fast and comprehensively.»
«Given these massive findings at every German nuclear power station
location, a radiation-linked cause is highly likely in every case. Anyone
who now still talks of coincidence is making himself ridiculous,» writes Dr.
med. Angelika Claussen, chair of the German IPPNW.
«The precautionary principle enshrined in European environment law now
demands that the German nuclear power stations be switched off immediately.»
«The IPPNW demands that the environment ministry now greatly reduce the
obviously too lax upper limits for radioactive emissions from nuclear power
stations. From now on the burden of proof of cause of illness should no
longer have to be borne by parents, but conversely by the operators of the
nuclear installations.»
The BfS media release about its study in German:
http://www.bfs.de/en/bfs/presse/aktuell_press/Studie_Kernkraftwerke.html
More IPPNW background and chronology in German at www.ippnw-ulm.de
More on the topic: www.alfred-koerblein.de www.bfs.de
Contact: Reinhold Thiel, #49 0176-511 64 195 or #49 7346-8407,
Dr. med. Angelika Claussen, IPPNW Chair #49 521-15 22 13,
Henrik Paulitz, IPPNW expert on nuclear energy issues #49 621-3972-668.
Cancer hos barn nära
kärnkraftverk
Till näringsminister Maud Olofsson (c)
En ny tysk studie visar att cancerfrekvensen hos barn som bor nära kärnkraftverk är större än för andra barn.
Studien har utförts av Universitetet i Mainz på uppdrag av den federala tyska stråskyddsmyndigheten (BFS), och visar på en signifikant högre risk för att barn utvecklar såväl leukemi som andra typer av cancer när de bor i närheten av ett kärnkraftverk. Studien bekräftar att en koppling kunnat påvisas mellan bostadens avstånd till kärnkraftverket och risken att utveckla cancer före barnens femte födelsedag.
Den tyske miljöministern Sigmar Gabriel har sagt at han ska studera resultaten noga, och att ge strålskyddsmyndigheten (BFS) i uppdrag att utvärdera resultaten.
Min fråga till ministern:
Är ministern beredd att snarast sjösätta en likadan studie i Sverige för att utreda om det finns liknande kopplingar mellan barncancer och den svenska kärnkraften som nu påvisats i Tyskland?
Författare:
Per Bolund (mp)
En ny tysk studie visar att cancerfrekvensen hos barn som bor nära kärnkraftverk är större än för andra barn.
Studien har utförts av Universitetet i Mainz på uppdrag av den federala tyska stråskyddsmyndigheten (BFS), och visar på en signifikant högre risk för att barn utvecklar såväl leukemi som andra typer av cancer när de bor i närheten av ett kärnkraftverk. Studien bekräftar att en koppling kunnat påvisas mellan bostadens avstånd till kärnkraftverket och risken att utveckla cancer före barnens femte födelsedag.
Den tyske miljöministern Sigmar Gabriel har sagt at han ska studera resultaten noga, och att ge strålskyddsmyndigheten (BFS) i uppdrag att utvärdera resultaten.
Min fråga till ministern:
Är ministern beredd att snarast sjösätta en likadan studie i Sverige för att utreda om det finns liknande kopplingar mellan barncancer och den svenska kärnkraften som nu påvisats i Tyskland?
Författare:
Per Bolund (mp)
GERMAN STUDY: MORE CHILDHOOD
CANCER NEAR NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
A German study has found children under
five are at 60% greater
risk of getting cancer and 120% greater
risk of getting leukemia
if they live within five kilometersof a
nuclear power station. The
case-control study covers the 16 locations
of German nuclear
power stations over a period of 24 years.
(664.5848) IPPNW Germany - The study
was initiated by the German section of
International Physicians for the
Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) and
carried out by the Office for Radiation
Protection (BfS), which reports to the
German environment ministry. The study
shows that the closer children live to a
nuke, the more they are at risk of
contracting leukemia.
Researchers from the University of Mainz
found that 37 children living within a
radius of five kilometers from reactors
developed leukemia, whereas only 17
new cases were to be anticipated on the
basis of the statistical average for the
study period from 1980 to 2003.
Consequently, the analysis concludes
that 20 additional leukemia cases are
related to the fact that the children live
so close to the nuclear power plants.
"Our study confirms that in Germany a
relationship is observable between the
proximity of the home to the nearest
nuclear power plant at the time of
diagnosis and the risk of contracting
cancer (respectively leukemia) before the
child's fifth birthday," the
researchers
write.
One member of the expert commission
that oversaw the study even considers
the conclusions to be understated.
According to him, the data indicate an
increased risk of cancer for children in a
radius of 50 kilometers.
It needed lobbying since 2001 by the
local IPPNW section and more than
10,000 protest letters from the public
authorities and ministries to get the BfS
to commission the study. The campaign
was triggered by a study initiated by the
IPPNW and carried by Dr. Alfred Körblein
(Environment Institute Munich), which
found significantly higher child cancer
incidence near Bavarian nuclear power
stations. The BfS commissioned its
study to the Mainzer Kinderkrebsregister
(Mainz Child Cancer Register) in 2003.
"Now that the connection between
increased cancer and leukemia rates and
proximity of the residence to the nuclear
power station has been established, the
causes of this must be further clarified
immediately," IPPNW says in a media
release. "The population affected at
nuclear power station locations must be
examined by suitable screening methods
fast and comprehensively."
"Given these massive findings at
every
German nuclear power station location, a
radiation-linked cause is highly likely in
every case. Anyone who now still talks of
coincidence is making himself
ridiculous," writes Dr. med. Angelika
Claussen, chair of the German IPPNW.
"The precautionary principle
enshrined in
European environment law now
demands that the German nuclear power
stations be switched off
immediately."
"The IPPNW demands that the
environment ministry now greatly reduce
the obviously too lax upper limits for
radioactive emissions from nuclear
power stations. From now on the burden
of proof of cause of illness should no
longer have to be borne by parents, but
conversely by the operators of the
nuclear installations."
German Environment Minister Sigmar
Gabriel said in a statement that he
would examine the study. He said the
BFS should also evaluate its findings.
But according to IPPNW not the study
but the current radiation dose-limits
should be examined.
Sources: Press
release IPPNWGermany
/ Reuters, 8 December 2007
Contact: Reinhold
Thiel, IPPNW-Ulm.
Hölderlinstr. 23, D-89171 Illerkirchberg,
Germany
Tel: +49 0176-511 64 195
Email: info@ippnw-ulm.de
Web: www.ippnw-ulm.de
More Childhood Cancer Near Nuclear Power
Plants
German study
08/12/2007 The german section of IPPNW has initiated a study, which approves
that children under the age of five living near nuclear power stations have
contracted cancer at a greatly higher rate than the national average. The
study was paid for by the German Federal Radiation Protection Agency (BfS)
the government's main adviser on nuclear health. It was conducted by the
German Register of Child Cancer, an office in Mainz which is funded by the
16 German states and the federal Health Ministry.
The risk of cancer increased by 60 percent for children living less than
five kilometres (three miles) from a nuclear power plant, according to the
study. The risk was 117 percent higher when only leukemia was taken into
account.The study looked at statistics from between 1980 and 2003 in regions
near 21 reactors or former reactors. In those areas, 77 cases of cancer were
found among children under five, or a 60-percent increase over the national
average. Some 37 cases of leukemia were recorded instead of the average of
17.
"Our study confirms that in Germany a relationship is observable between the
proximity of the home to the nearest nuclear power plant at the time of
diagnosis and the risk of contracting cancer (respectively leukaemia) before
the child's fifth birthday," the researchers write.
One member of the expert commission that oversaw the study even considers
the conclusions to be understated. According to him, the data indicate an
increased risk of cancer for children in a radius of 50 kilometres.
It needed lobbying since 2001 by the local IPPNW section and more than
10,000 protest letters from the public authorities and ministries to get the
BfS to commission the study. The campaign was triggered by a study initiated
by the IPPNW and carried by Dr. Alfred Körblein (Environment Institute
Munich), which found significantly higher child cancer incidence near
Bavarian nuclear power stations.
The BfS commissioned its study to the Mainzer Kinderkrebsregister (Mainz
Child Cancer Register) in 2003.
«Now that the connection between increased cancer and leukaemia rates and
proximity of the residence to the nuclear power station has been
established, the causes of this must be further clarified immediately,»
IPPNW says in a media release.
«The population affected at nuclear power station locations must be examined
by suitable screening methods fast and comprehensively.»
«Given these massive findings at every German nuclear power station
location, a radiation-linked cause is highly likely in every case. Anyone
who now still talks of coincidence is making himself ridiculous,» writes Dr.
med. Angelika Claussen, chair of the German IPPNW.
«The precautionary principle enshrined in European environment law now
demands that the German nuclear power stations be switched off immediately.»
«The IPPNW demands that the environment ministry now greatly reduce the
obviously too lax upper limits for radioactive emissions from nuclear power
stations. From now on the burden of proof of cause of illness should no
longer have to be borne by parents, but conversely by the operators of the
nuclear installations.»
The BfS media release about its study in German:
http://www.bfs.de/en/bfs/presse/aktuell_press/Studie_Kernkraftwerke.html
More IPPNW background and chronology in German at www.ippnw-ulm.de
More on the topic: www.alfred-koerblein.de www.bfs.de
Contact: Reinhold Thiel, #49 0176-511 64 195 or #49 7346-8407,
Dr. med. Angelika Claussen, IPPNW Chair #49 521-15 22 13,
Henrik Paulitz, IPPNW expert on nuclear energy issues #49 621-3972-668.
German study
08/12/2007 The german section of IPPNW has initiated a study, which approves
that children under the age of five living near nuclear power stations have
contracted cancer at a greatly higher rate than the national average. The
study was paid for by the German Federal Radiation Protection Agency (BfS)
the government's main adviser on nuclear health. It was conducted by the
German Register of Child Cancer, an office in Mainz which is funded by the
16 German states and the federal Health Ministry.
The risk of cancer increased by 60 percent for children living less than
five kilometres (three miles) from a nuclear power plant, according to the
study. The risk was 117 percent higher when only leukemia was taken into
account.The study looked at statistics from between 1980 and 2003 in regions
near 21 reactors or former reactors. In those areas, 77 cases of cancer were
found among children under five, or a 60-percent increase over the national
average. Some 37 cases of leukemia were recorded instead of the average of
17.
"Our study confirms that in Germany a relationship is observable between the
proximity of the home to the nearest nuclear power plant at the time of
diagnosis and the risk of contracting cancer (respectively leukaemia) before
the child's fifth birthday," the researchers write.
One member of the expert commission that oversaw the study even considers
the conclusions to be understated. According to him, the data indicate an
increased risk of cancer for children in a radius of 50 kilometres.
It needed lobbying since 2001 by the local IPPNW section and more than
10,000 protest letters from the public authorities and ministries to get the
BfS to commission the study. The campaign was triggered by a study initiated
by the IPPNW and carried by Dr. Alfred Körblein (Environment Institute
Munich), which found significantly higher child cancer incidence near
Bavarian nuclear power stations.
The BfS commissioned its study to the Mainzer Kinderkrebsregister (Mainz
Child Cancer Register) in 2003.
«Now that the connection between increased cancer and leukaemia rates and
proximity of the residence to the nuclear power station has been
established, the causes of this must be further clarified immediately,»
IPPNW says in a media release.
«The population affected at nuclear power station locations must be examined
by suitable screening methods fast and comprehensively.»
«Given these massive findings at every German nuclear power station
location, a radiation-linked cause is highly likely in every case. Anyone
who now still talks of coincidence is making himself ridiculous,» writes Dr.
med. Angelika Claussen, chair of the German IPPNW.
«The precautionary principle enshrined in European environment law now
demands that the German nuclear power stations be switched off immediately.»
«The IPPNW demands that the environment ministry now greatly reduce the
obviously too lax upper limits for radioactive emissions from nuclear power
stations. From now on the burden of proof of cause of illness should no
longer have to be borne by parents, but conversely by the operators of the
nuclear installations.»
The BfS media release about its study in German:
http://www.bfs.de/en/bfs/presse/aktuell_press/Studie_Kernkraftwerke.html
More IPPNW background and chronology in German at www.ippnw-ulm.de
More on the topic: www.alfred-koerblein.de www.bfs.de
Contact: Reinhold Thiel, #49 0176-511 64 195 or #49 7346-8407,
Dr. med. Angelika Claussen, IPPNW Chair #49 521-15 22 13,
Henrik Paulitz, IPPNW expert on nuclear energy issues #49 621-3972-668.
|
RIKS 2007-12-12
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Cancer hos barn nära kärnkraftverk
Till näringsminister Maud Olofsson (c)
En ny tysk studie visar att cancerfrekvensen hos barn som bor nära kärnkraftverk är större än för andra barn. Studien har utförts av Universitetet i Mainz på uppdrag av den federala tyska stråskyddsmyndigheten (BFS), och visar på en signifikant högre risk för att barn utvecklar såväl leukemi som andra typer av cancer när de bor i närheten av ett kärnkraftverk. Studien bekräftar att en koppling kunnat påvisas mellan bostadens avstånd till kärnkraftverket och risken att utveckla cancer före barnens femte födelsedag. Den tyske miljöministern Sigmar Gabriel har sagt at han ska studera resultaten noga, och att ge strålskyddsmyndigheten (BFS) i uppdrag att utvärdera resultaten. Min fråga till ministern: Är ministern beredd att snarast sjösätta en likadan studie i Sverige för att utreda om det finns liknande kopplingar mellan barncancer och den svenska kärnkraften som nu påvisats i Tyskland? Författare: Per Bolund (mp) |
I have been told that this German study was carefully
carried out
with a very large population living in the vicinity of
16 nuclear power
plants. According to my source, there was a
statistically significant
correlation between cancer/leukemia among children
under 5 and
their proximity to (or distance from) a nuclear power
plant. Moreover,
this correlation remained significant when any one
nuclear plant was
taken away and the other 15 were studied. Thus
the results are
the strongest ever obtained, and the methodology was,
according
to all reports, exemplary.
Gordon Edwards.
Child cancer risk higher
near nuclear plants: study
Sat Dec 8, 2007
BERLIN (Reuters) - A German study has found that young children living near nuclear power plants have a significantly higher risk of developing leukemia and other forms of cancer, a German newspaper reported on Saturday.
"Our study confirmed that in Germany a connection has been observed between the distance of a domicile to the nearest nuclear power plant .... and the risk of developing cancer, such as leukemia, before the fifth birthday," Suddeutsche Zeitung newspaper quoted the report as saying.
The newspaper said the study was done by the University of Mainz for Germany's Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BFS). A copy of the report was not immediately available.
The researchers found that 37 children within a 5-kilometer (3-mile) radius of nuclear power plants had developed leukemia between 1980 and 2003, while the statistical average during this time period was 17, the paper said.
The newspaper cited an unnamed radiation protection expert familiar with the study who said its conclusions understated the problem. He said the data showed there was an increased cancer risk for children living within 50 kilometers of a reactor.
German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel said in a statement that he would examine the study. He said the BFS should also evaluate its findings.
Germany plans to prematurely shut down all of its nuclear power plants by the early 2020s.
(Reporting by Louis Charbonneau)
© Reuters 2007. All Rights Reserved.
BERLIN (Reuters) - A German study has found that young children living near nuclear power plants have a significantly higher risk of developing leukemia and other forms of cancer, a German newspaper reported on Saturday.
"Our study confirmed that in Germany a connection has been observed between the distance of a domicile to the nearest nuclear power plant .... and the risk of developing cancer, such as leukemia, before the fifth birthday," Suddeutsche Zeitung newspaper quoted the report as saying.
The newspaper said the study was done by the University of Mainz for Germany's Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BFS). A copy of the report was not immediately available.
The researchers found that 37 children within a 5-kilometer (3-mile) radius of nuclear power plants had developed leukemia between 1980 and 2003, while the statistical average during this time period was 17, the paper said.
The newspaper cited an unnamed radiation protection expert familiar with the study who said its conclusions understated the problem. He said the data showed there was an increased cancer risk for children living within 50 kilometers of a reactor.
German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel said in a statement that he would examine the study. He said the BFS should also evaluate its findings.
Germany plans to prematurely shut down all of its nuclear power plants by the early 2020s.
(Reporting by Louis Charbonneau)
© Reuters 2007. All Rights Reserved.
We are killing our own!
By Peter G Cohen
I am sorry to
be the messenger of this awful information, but it is necessary in order for
you to protect your family, friends and the world wherever possible. From the
mining of uranium ore through enrichment to the making of bombs and fuel rods,
radiation is released into the environment at every step either accidentally or
purposefully. It accumulates and passes through the food chain to humans, where
it slices up our precious genetic heritage.
The National Cancer Institute and
the Center for Disease Control have
estimated that between 11,000 and 212,000 Americans have had thyroid
cancer or leukemia from the fallout of our nuclear testing. They believe that
about 11,000 of these have died, from radioactive iodine-131 alone. Tens of
thousands more have been sickened and many died from radiation exposure in
mining, processing, assembling, and other actions related to these
weapons and nuclear fuel.
Several federal programs are now
providing compensation to these victims and their families. In 2008 claims are
still being evaluated and compensation paid for 22 types of cancer caused by
radiation. RECA, which compensates downwinders, miners, millers and
transporters has approved 19 thousand cases for $1.27 Billion. EEOICPA,
which compensates other nuclear workers, has paid out $3.5 billion in
compensation and medical bills, and has a backlog of some 25,000 cases.
We will never
know exactly how many people have been sickened or killed by low-level nuclear
radiation from our weapons efforts and from routine and accidental discharges
from nuclear plants, because the effects are varied and often delayed. “The
current generation, the one in utero, and all that follow may suffer cancers,
immune system damage, leukemias, miscarriages, stillbirths, deformities, and
fertility problems...Perhaps the most extreme outcome over time would be simply
the wholesale cessation of the ability to reproduce.” -Oser-Brown, Background
Briefing on Radioactive Pollution.
The list of
radiation symptoms is similar to those assumed to be caused by chemical
pollution of mothers and newborn babies. The statistics are shocking. “Asthma,
autism, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorders, childhood brain cancer
and acute lymphocytic leukemia have all increased over the past 30 years. Five
to ten percent of American couples are infertile. Up to half of all pregnancies
end in miscarriage. Three to five percent of babies are born with birth
defects. Scientists cannot fully explain these increases, but early life
exposure to environmental pollutants is a leading suspect...With an estimated
75,000 chemicals registered for use in the U.S., and an average of seven new
chemicals approved each day, many not tested for safety and certainly not
tested for their ability to “reprogram” body tissues, the ramifications of this
study (of human umbilical cord blood) are enormous”. - Body Burden: The
Pollution in Newborns, Environmental Working Group
But even these threats cannot be
compared to the results of radiation from nuclear explosions. From 1946
to 1958 the United States conducted 67 nuclear tests in the Marshall Islands.
The total yield of these tests was 108 megatons, the equivalent of more than
7,000 Hiroshima bombs.
On November 6,
1995, Lijon Eknilang, a quiet, unassuming woman from the Marshall Islands
appeared before the International Court of Justice in The Hague. She
relayed to the 14 officiating judges horrifying testimony about the effects of
nuclear testing in the Pacific.
“Women have
experienced many reproductive cancers and abnormal births. In privacy, they
give birth, not to children as we like to think of them, but to things we could
only describe as "octopuses," "apples,"
"turtles," and other things in our experience.
“The most
common birth defects on Rongelap and nearby islands have been
"jellyfish" babies. These babies are born with no bones in their
bodies and with transparent skin. We can see their brains and hearts beating.
The babies usually live for a day or two before they stop breathing. Many women
die from abnormal pregnancies, and those who survive give birth to what looks
like purple grapes which we quickly hide away and bury.”
Lijon, who has
herself had eight miscarriages and no live births, pleaded that the suffering
she and other Marshall Islanders had experienced should never be repeated
anywhere in the world. The ` judges concluded that nuclear weapons are
unique in their destructive potential, that their impact could not be contained
in time or space, and that there is a universal obligation to abolish such
weapons. - From The
Human Factor by Alyn Ware,
Global Coordinator, Parliamentarians for Nuclear Nonproliferation and
Disarmament.
With
chemicals, nuclear weapons and nuclear plants our modern technology is
polluting our nation and others to such a degree that we are degrading the
human gene pool. If we continue this reckless behavior over time - for any
reason whatsoever - we may end the human race.
PS. If you or a friend is having a baby, do your best
to protect the mother throughout pregnancy and baby through first two very
sensitive years of life. Try to stay away from nuclear and chemical
plants for those years. Eat organic foods, if possible, and avoid powerful
household chemicals. The Environmental Working Group study showed that hundreds
of chemicals can get into the mother’s blood and can be delivered to the baby
through the umbilical cord. Given reasonable sanitation and a decent diet, your
grandparents had a better chance of having a healthy baby than you do in the
modern world.
If you want to
reduce the radiation and chemicals in your environment, send this article with
your own statement to your Representative in Congress. Ask them not to fund any
support for new nuclear plants and to work for the testing of all synthetic
chemicals for their biological effects.
Thank you.
#
# #
Peter G Cohen, artist and activist, is the author of
Nuke-freeworld.com
He lives and writes in Santa Barbara, where he can be
reached at aerie2@verizon.net
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Chernobyl Memories, Cancer Deaths Haunt Turkey's Nuclear
Plans
Bloomberg, July 25, 2008 Aerial Map Nuclear Earth |
Thernobyl Memories, Cancer Deaths
Haunt Turkey's Nuclear Plans
By Ayla Jean Yackley
July 25 (Bloomberg) -- Hale Oguz blames the
cancer deaths of six relatives on the Chernobyl disaster across the Black Sea
more than 20 years ago. Now she's fighting plans for a nuclear plant near her
home in Sinop on Turkey's northern coast.
``Chernobyl isn't history for us; it's very
fresh,'' said Oguz, 54, as she walked her two dogs on a ridge overlooking the
forested peninsula where the government plans a reactor. ``We are about to turn
this paradise into a hell.''
The power station near Sinop, a fishing
town in one of Turkey's poorest provinces, is part of the state's effort to cut
reliance on fuel imports. Turkey plans to build three nuclear power plants in
the next five years at a cost of at least $8 billion to meet demand for electricity
that is rising faster than anywhere else in the world except China.
Opponents say the plants will exacerbate what they believe
is a cancer epidemic caused by the meltdown at Chernobyl, the world's worst
nuclear accident. They also cite risks from earthquakes -- most of Turkey
straddles geological fault lines -- and terrorism in a nation that has been
targeted by Islamist and Kurdish militants.
Nuclear energy
is experiencing a worldwide revival with estimates from the U.S. Energy
Information Administration showing global demand for electricity will almost
double by 2025. Surging costs for oil, gas and coal and concern about global
warming are also renewing interest in the fuel.
Atomic power remains a small part of
Turkey's overall energy blueprint. The reactors would generate a combined 5,000
megawatts of power, or about 5 percent of the country's needs. Turkey also
plans hydropower stations with a total capacity of 16,500 megawatts in the next
five years.
Radiation Cloud
Energy MinisterHilmi
Guler insists it's ``impossible'' for Turkey to meet demand that is rising
more than 8 percent annually without nuclear power.
Bids for the first reactor, on the
Mediterranean coast, are due Sept. 24, and the government plans to seek offers
for the Sinop plant by the end of the year.
Eight days after the April 1986 meltdown at Chernobyl in Ukraine, a cloud of radiation
particles moved over Sinop about 600 miles away, images from the Lawrence
Livermore National Laboratory in California showed.
Though no studies have been done on the
effects on Sinop itself, the Turkish Chamber of Physicians did research in 2006
on the town of Hopa, about 350 miles east along the Black Sea coast. It showed
that half of all deaths there were caused by cancer and blamed the fallout from
Chernobyl. That's more than twice the national rate, according to Health
Ministry data.
Cancer Deaths
``There is a general sense that Sinop has a
higher cancer rate because of Chernobyl, and I agree with this thinking,'' said
Muharrem Coskuner, a family doctor who heads Sinop's Chamber of Physicians and
treats two or three cancer patients a month.
Health Minister Recep
Akdag has disputed such findings, blaming the cancers on causes such as
smoking and X-rays. Two years ago, a ministry study on the Black Sea region as
a whole found no significant increase in cancer because of the disaster.
Turkey's cancer death rate of 22 percent exceeds the global average of 13
percent, World Health Organization data show.
The Turkish Atomic Energy Agency said it considered
economic, engineering, environmental and sociological issues when determining
the most suitable sites for the reactors.
``There are efforts underway in Sinop to
dispel the erroneous opinions on the health risks brought by nuclear power
plants,'' the agency said in an e-mailed response to questions.
Import Dependence
Hilal Atici, Greenpeace's
Mediterranean energy campaigner, says Turkey has enough renewable-energy
resources to meet demand. Government figures show wind power alone has a
technical potential of 88,000 megawatts. Turkey's installed energy capacity was
36,800 megawatts in 2005, according to the latest figures from the U.S.
Department of Energy.
Guler says Turkey needs to diversify its
energy sources and that nuclear must be one of them.
The country uses imported natural gas to
fire half of its generators. The government estimates that dependence on
foreign energy may push the current-account
deficit, the broadest measure of trade in goods and services, to about $50
billion, or 7 percent of the entire economy, by year-end.
Turkey may fail to meet demand for
electricity as early as next year because of a lack of investment in the
largely state- run energy industry during six straight years of economic
growth, according to the World Bank.
`Incredibly Painful'
Oguz has helped gather 26,000 signatures
for a petition opposing the plant. She also led a group called Mothers Against
Nuclear Power, which met with former President Ahmet
Necdet Sezer in the capital, Ankara, last year before he vetoed legislation
allowing development of the nuclear industry. His successor, Abdullah
Gul, later signed a similar law.
Oguz helped raise a niece and nephew after
her sister-in-law died of cancer in 1995. The last family member to die of
cancer was her cousin Recai Kuroglu, mayor of the nearby town of Gerze. His funeral in
February served as an anti-nuclear rally, she said.
``It's incredibly painful to think these
deaths were for nothing,'' she said.
To contact the reporter on this story: Ayla
Jean Yackley in Istanbul at ayackley@bloomberg.net.
Last Updated: July 24, 2008 17:10 EDT
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