Citizen's Watch
Communities Against a Radioactive Environment
Citizens Watch Newsletter October 1998
Independent Scientists Come to Livermore for "Radiation and Your Health" Series
by Marylia Kelleyfrom Tri-Valley CAREs' October 1998 newsletter, Citizen's Watch
Health issues engage your curiosity? This month presents a unique opportunity to learn about the health hazards of radioactivity from nationally-recognized experts in the field.
Can public participation actually improve science? Come and hear real-life stories of health studies around nuclear facilities--and the important role the public plays.
Learn, question, dialogue, understand
These are a few of the goals of a series of discussions titled "Radiation and Your Health." These events are made possible by the Childhood Cancer Research Institute in Worchester, MA, along with Tri-Valley CAREs, Physicians for Social Responsibility and Western States Legal Foundation.
Among the presenters will be Dr. Steven Wing, Professor of Epidemiology at the University of North Carolina. (Epidemiology is the study of diseases in populations.) Dr. Wing is currently working on a study of workers at the Dept. of Energy's Hanford site, and on a project in concert with a grassroots group looking at health issues in eastern North Carolina. Additionally Dr. Wing has conducted health studies at the DOE's Oak Ridge, Savannah River and Los Alamos sites, as well as at Three Mile Island.
Dr. Seth Tuler, of the Childhood Cancer Research Institute and a researcher at Clark University, has extensive experience in health risk assessment and public participation in environmental policy-making. Tri-Valley CAREs' Marylia Kelley, who has monitored activities at Livermore Lab for more than 15 years, and Patrice Sutton MPH, with Western States Legal Foundation, round out the panel. Health studies in Livermore and questions regarding Livermore Lab's radioactive and toxic emissions will be highlighted. (See newsletter "Citizen's Alerts" section below for event details.)
"Rad" Controversy Deliberated
by Stephanie Ericson from Tri-Valley CAREs' October 1998 newsletter, Citizen's Watch
One researcher described his work X-raying Beagles. His conclusion: low-level radiation doesn't harm them. Another scientist said that increasing annual background radiation stimulates the body's autoimmune system to increase its ability to protect itself from such mutation damage and, therefore, from cancer.
On the other side, scientists presented epidemiological studies suggesting that low-level radiation causes even greater harm than had been previously acknowledged. These included a reevaluation of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki radiation survivor data and a study of a nuclear plant in Southern California which found that workers there suffered much higher than expected rates of cancer.
Neither of these views is new. Elements within the Health Physics Society, which is dominated by researchers close to the nuclear industry, have long maintained the idea of "hormesis." In this theory, a little radiation is good for you, like a vaccine, and actually protects you from cancer and other radiologic diseases.
The generally-accepted scientific view, however, is that there is no safe level of exposure, and that radiation effects are "linear."
Other scientists agree that there is no safe threshold below which radiation is harmless, but, additionally, are further theorizing that low levels of radiation exposure may present greater health dangers than the simple linear or proportional model indicates, and are, in fact, "supralinear." They point to new evidence that suggests the same amount of radiation spread out over time and emitted in low doses can cause more biological damage than in a single blast.
What was unusual, if not unprecedented, about this particular symposium was the presentation of these conflicting views before an audience of around 250 scientists, public health professionals and anti-nuclear activists.
Held at the Academy of Medicine in New York City, and organized by the Long Island-based STAR Foundation (Standing for Truth About Radiation), the two-day symposium was ambitious. Its 25 speakers included top scientists from a wide variety of disciplines, physicians, and leading peace, environmental and health activists.
In one of the most interesting presentations, Dr. Eric Wright described his work examining the biological effects of radiation on the molecular and cellular levels. He found that several generations after the initial radiation exposure, some progeny cells exhibited new chromosomal abnormalities or gene mutations, where none or different abnormalities or mutations existed in the parent (or grandparent) cells that were irradiated.
This "genomic instability" as it is called, is a recent area of scientific exploration, and one which is already providing important new insights into the biological effects of radiation. And, unlike epidemiological studies of human populations, research at the cellular and molecular levels can be conducted under the strictly controlled conditions of the laboratory. Wright also noted that a single track of radiation, if it hits the "right" cell, can cause cancer. More research is needed, he said.
Tony Mazzochi, of the Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers Union, asserted that radiation standards are fairly meaningless because the worker dosimetry readings are so well sabotaged, including by workers themselves shielding their badges to keep their jobs. He said that with the privatization of uranium enrichment, and consequent use of contract workers, the problems will get worse.
A personal perspective was offered by William Reid, a physician whose practice includes the area around the Dept. of Energy's Oak Ridge facility. Dr. Reid noted that the anomalies he encountered in patients included earlier and more aggressive cancers, and that many were difficult to diagnose. He noted as well that he had encountered both cancer and non-cancer clusters of disease.
Three of us from Tri-Valley CAREs returned with a greater understanding of radiation effects on health. This will help our group better deal with issues associated with pollution from Livermore Lab.
We plan to include a short report from the New York symposium in our series "Radiation and Your Health," this month. We hope to see you there.
Citizen's Alerts
by Marylia Kelley
from Tri-Valley CAREs' October 1998 newsletter, Citizen's Watch
Many hands needed to prepare next month's newsletter for mailing.
"Atomic Audit" Author Dines With Local Activists
by Sally Lightfrom Tri-Valley CAREs' October 1998 newsletter, Citizen's Watch
Meet Our Community Organizer
by Rene Steinhauerfrom Tri-Valley CAREs' October 1998 newsletter, Citizen's Watch
Shortly thereafter, the world turned a little more dangerous...
U.S. Subcritical Nuclear Test Decried
by Marylia Kelleyfrom Tri-Valley CAREs' October 1998 newsletter, Citizen's Watch
Illnesses Found Around Livermore Lab, Other Weapons Sites
by Marylia Kelley
from Tri-Valley CAREs' October 1998 newsletter, Citizen's Watch
Around the nation's bomb plants, workers and neighbors haven fallen victim to a multitude of mysterious and debilitating illnesses, according to an investigation by a Nashville, Tenn. newspaper.
Four hundred and ten people from around 13 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) nuclear weapons facilities, including the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), were interviewed by the Tennessean for this special report. The sick live near sites where toxic and radioactive materials were allowed to waft in the air, leak into the ground and wash into streams, often over many years. People told of ailments including immune system deficiencies, tremors, memory loss, fatigue and an array of breathing, muscular and reproductive problems as well as cancers and other diseases.
No direct link was drawn between the diseases and the facilities by either the newspaper or many of the people interviewed. However, most believe the federal government owes it to the people it has exposed to undertake a comprehensive study of their illnesses. To date no one has taken such a look, not the DOE that owns the sites, nor the health agencies responsible for community well-being, nor the politicians who vote on the weapons budget. Further, residents at some DOE sites, most notably at Hanford, are insisting on the right to medical monitoring services.
The DOE acknowledges it has contaminated all the sites in question, but insists there is no harm to the residents. According to Peter Brush, acting assistant secretary for environment, safety and health at DOE, there are no plans afoot for broader studies.
In Livermore, journalists interviewed 13 members of seven families, with ages ranging from 3 to 66. Families spoke of suffering from arthritis, severe allergies, headaches, developmental disabilities, compromised immune systems, infections, cancers and heart attack.
"I don't know what's wrong, the doctors don't know what's wrong, all I know is that my whole body hurts so bad," local resident Terry Wheeler told the Tennessean. She was healthy when she moved to Livermore 20 years ago, she said. "And when you see so many of your friends getting some of the same health problems that don't make sense at all, you start looking around and thinking it could have something to do with all the things they've done at the lab through the years."
Local resident and LLNL employee Frank Chambers told the paper he knows of many workers' families whose children have disabilities similar to those of his son. While cautious about drawing too straight a line, Chambers believes Livermore Lab "needs to be more forthcoming," though he doubts it will do so.
Georgia Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney has responded to the Tennessean's findings with a vow to circulate a letter to her colleagues calling on the President and the Surgeon General to launch an investigation of illness around weapons facilities.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
1. Phone or email your Congressional Rep. and ask him or her to join Cynthia McKinney's call for an investigation. Switchboard: (202) 224-3121. By email: http://www.house.gov/writerep
2. Participate in one of the series of educational events this month, titled "Radiation and Your Health," sponsored by Tri-Valley CAREs and others (see newsletter "Citizen's Alerts" section for dates, times and places).
3. Join with us to stop ongoing health threats from current nuclear weapons projects and to achieve the best possible cleanup of toxic and radioactive pollutants around Livermore and other DOE sites.
4. Support medical monitoring and other environmental justice efforts for all residents around the nation's nuke weapons complex.