Dr. Rosalie Bertell’s Comments on the Joint News Release from WHO/IAEA/UNDP

This press release of 5 September, 2005 which purports to be a consensus of more tha 100 scientists represents some very poor scientific conclusions. Example, Under “Major study findings”, one finds the following quote:

“Approximately 1000 reactor staff and emergency workers were heavily exposed to high-level radiation on the first day of the accident; among the more than 200,000 emergency and recovery operation workers exposed during the period 1986-1987, an estimated 2200 radiation-caused deaths can be expected during their lifetime.”

Radiation caused deaths is a loaded statement. It assumes that only death is considered to be a detriment and eliminates consideration of all severe and debilitating morbidity or genetic/teratogenic damage to offspring. Moreover, it indicates that these scientists, trained by the documents released by ICRP (international Commission on Radiological Protection) over the last fifty years, have accepted without question that the only health effects “of concern” attributable to radiation are deaths to cancer. These are administrative considerations and not scientific decisions… There is no mention of the mitochondrial DNA (mDNA) which is sixteen times more vulnerable to radiation than cellular DNA, and the damage of which is expressed as different but equally devastating illnesses as cancer.”

The rest of this article goes on to describe how five million people now live in contaminated areas of Belarus, Russia amd the Ukraine; about 100,000 living areas have been classified in the past as areas of strict control. The press release calls for relaxing zoning definitions in the light of their “findings”. Dr. Bertell strongly disagrees “There appears to be a conscious vested interest behind this”.

To read more of this report, visit our website at http://www.iicph.org/bertell_response_pressrelease_chernobyl_2005