Following publication of the Minority and Majority reports of CERRIE (UK Government Committee Examining Radiation Risks of Internal Emitters) the Low Level Radiation Campaign has begun to explain the shortcomings of the Majority report. We start with its ridiculous account of a four way split over leukaemia diagnosed in babies born during the two years after Chernobyl. A statistically significant increase was widely reported. Some members thought it didn't happen at all, some thought it did happen but could be interpreted to show that no more babies got leukaemia than they would expect on the basis of the radiation doses, some thought it was worse than that, but the Majority Report doesn't say how much worse nor why. And we said it's between 150 and 800 times worse than expected, demonstrating that conventional risk estimates are wrong. Confused? – you should be. Go to http://www.llrc.org and Click on "Anatomy of a Cover-up" to see how a Committee can tell lies in the defence of a powerful vested interest. Don't expect logic or science – it's all about power.

Later today:- Adult cancer in Sweden after Chernobyl (this one is nothing to do with CERRIE – it's just topical).

A recent paper (cited below) reveals that cancer in north Sweden increased by 30% over 9 years after Chernobyl. Later today (Friday 26th November) we will send an email circular with a preliminary analysis. This early rise in cancer shows that conventional modelling underestimates risk by at least a factor of 125.

(Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 2004;58:1011-1016 "Increase of regional total cancer incidence in north Sweden due to the Chernobyl accident?" Tondel et al.)


Richard Bramhall
Low Level Radiation Campaign
bramhall@llrc.org
The Knoll, Montpellier Park
Llandrindod Wells,
Powys LD1 5LW U.K.
+44(0)1597 824771
07887 942043