'Myth' of Chernobyl suffering exposed

Posted by bobbapink on Jan 08, 2002 at 12:15
nen169-102.nosc.mil (198.253.169.102)

Odd, i expected much less from a rag such as this. Still, credit given where credit due and considering their source, it may still be untrue. (Hey, that rhymes!)

Snip

It is seen as the worst man-made disaster in history, killing tens of thousands, making tens of millions ill, and afflicting generations to come. Exhibitions of photographs of the deformed victims have toured the world, raising funds and awareness.

Now a report from the United Nations on the consequences of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster 15 years after the event comes to a very different conclusion. It says the medical effects of radiation are far less than was thought. The biggest damage to health has instead come from hypochondria and well-meaning but misguided attempts to help people.

My only contention with the article regards fear-monger parroting such as this:

… The biggest direct consequences of the radiation are increases in childhood thyroid cancer, normally a very rare disease, that increased 60-fold in Belarus, 40-fold in Ukraine, and 20-fold in Russia, totalling 1,800 cases in all.

My possibly incorrect understanding of the matter is that the vast majority of these cancers were discovered post mortem as part a medical survey program to establish the long term medical effects of the incident. If that’s the case then I’d think any conclusion concerning the causes of the cancer would be rather suspect, since you’d be comparing the rarity of diagnosed thyroid cancer with undiagnosed thyroid cancer. Sort of an apples and oranges comparison. If someone can’t help me out here, I’d appreciate it.



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