Theo Colborn’s gifts to us

Theo Colborn (1927-2014) changed the way we think about the damage coming from chemical contamination. Her legacy is not only proving this shift in thinking for chemicals, but in providing a road map for how we should assess radiation damage, especially during child development. She continued her work until she past away on Sunday, December 14.

Her ground-breaking investigations on chemical contamination recognized that looking only at the cancers that resulted from exposure was masking a large part of the problem because, in the case of toxic chemicals, cancers were often the result of higher exposures. Once she started to include non-cancer disease, a pattern formed and she found, to her surprise, that low doses given over a longer time were responsible for more subtle, non-fatal, but still very damaging health impacts. These non-cancer effects included reproductive and neurological abnormalities, low-birth weight and premature birth.

Dr. Colborn recognized that damage also depended on when these tiny doses were delivered, overturning the concept that the dose always makes the poison. The question of timing has particular significance for in-utero cycle since the embryo starts as only a few cells that then divide and grow rapidly into a whole functioning human being. A chemical exposure delivered at any sensitive time during this process can have negative impacts on the developing child. Often chemical doses at this level were allowed by federal agencies and considered safe. This is changing in large part due to work by Dr. Colborn and her colleagues and the term “endocrine disrupting chemical” is now widely known.

Colborn’s realization that low doses of endocrine disrupters, delivered at just the wrong time, can cause non-fatal, non-cancer disease, mirrors an uncomfortable truth in radiation protection: there is a lack of focus on the impact of small, long-term doses on the developing child and other sensitive populations. Studies that have been conducted showing disruption of the birth gender ratio, thyroid abnormalities, and cardiovascular disease, have been minimized or ignored and remain unincorporated fully into protection regulations. This remains true even for some types of cancers like childhood leukemia. Dr. Colborn has expanded the way science and society examines the impact of endocrine disrupting chemicals, and public health will be better for it. In demonstrating that fresh methods were needed to assess chemical damage, she has shown us that, likewise, different methods of assessment for radiation damage are needed for much the same reasons. This is just one of the many gifts she has left us. And we are eternally grateful.

Special thanks to Rachel Carson and her Sisters: Extraordinary Women Who Have Shaped America’s Environment by Robert Musil, which explores the lives of American women activists who are linked to Rachel Carson’s work protecting humans, animals and the environment. He provides a chapter on the work of Dr. Colborn from which some of the information above was extracted.

Our Stolen Future, a chemical contamination detective story written by Dr. Theo Colborn, “brought world-wide attention to scientific discoveries about endocrine disruption and the fact that common contaminants can interfere with the natural signals controlling development of the fetus.”

You can HELP! Beyond Nuclear, others, file NRC FOIA, ask for extension

Beyond Nuclear, Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition, in New York (IPSEC), and Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS) filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) this week. The groups are demanding NRC turn over documents they used as the basis for proposed rule changes on radiation exposure. A change in radiation exposure rules will affect the public, particularly vulnerable children who should be the standard by which every human is protected. Additionally, the groups are asking for a six month extension on the rule comment period which currently ends on November 24, 2014.

JOIN US in asking for an extension to this comment period to ensure fair public input. SIGN our letter if you haven't already.

Preparation of this NRC proposed radiation rule change was a multi-year project for NRC Staff, and the current comment period of 120 days does not allow adequate time for stakeholders in impacted reactor communities to review the long and technical documents NRC references.

Also, while reviewing the NRC's Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“ANPR”), we discovered that many of the NRC’s references, which the NRC staff used as the basis of the proposed rule, are publicly inaccessible.  Additionally, some references depend on other references which are non credited by in the Federal Registry notice. In order to fully understand the basis for NRC’s reasoning, public review of all foundational documents, referenced and unreferenced, is necessary.

Industry has the means and resources to obtain these documents and NRC recognized in its ANPR that it was using documents that were not readily available to the public either through public libraries or online. NRC's behavior in this case has yet again shown its disdain for meaningful public comment.

Update on November 20, 2014 by admin

Victory! The NRC extended the comment period until March 24, 2015. No word yet on the FOIA request.

A new scientific panel to examine low dose radiation impacts?

On November 17, 2014, the Nuclear and Radiation Studies Board of the National Academy of Sciences will be hosting a meeting to assist with scoping the next Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation (BEIR) report—the BEIR VIII report—on health risks from exposure to low levels of ionizing radiation.

The meeting, which is open to the public in its entirety, will be held at the National Academy of Sciences, located at 2101 Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC.

This is a preliminary meeting as no agency has formally requested a BEIR VIII report yet. For the previous NAS report on low-dose ionizing radiation impacts, see BEIR VII, published in 2006. Register here.

Crisis Without End: The Medical and Ecological Consequences of the Fukushima Nuclear Catastrophe

Dr. Helen Caldicott, Beyond Nuclear's Founding PresidentTeaching for Change Bookstore at Busboys and Poets welcomes Helen Caldicott, editor of the new book,

Crisis Without End: The Medical and Ecological Consequences of the Fukushima Nuclear Catastrophe

 introduced by Kevin Kamps of Beyond Nuclear.

Wednesday, October 8, 2014 

6:30 to 8:00 PM

Busboys and Poets - 14th & V, N.W., Washington, D.C.

Sponsors: 

Physicians for Social Responsibility 

Beyond Nuclear 

Teaching for Change 

Busboys and Poets

Beyond Nuclear's Cindy Folkers and Kevin Kamps presented at the 2013 symposium which led to this new book. Summaries of their presentations are included.

Update on October 9, 2014 by admin

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Helen's book talk event went very well last night. We had a good turn out. Here is a link to Kevin's introduction of Helen. Helen gave a great talk, followed by a dynamic Q&A/discussion afterwards. Thanks to everyone who came, and all those who helped spread the word!

Families sue government for Fukushima radiation exposure

"A group of parents and children who were residing in Fukushima Prefecture when the nuclear disaster unfolded in March 2011 is suing the central and prefectural governments for failing to take sufficient steps to protect children from radiation exposure during the crisis.

"In a written complaint, they said the central and prefectural governments failed to promptly release accurate data on airborne radiation levels after the nuclear crisis, neglecting their duty to prevent residential radiation exposure as much as possible, and exposing children to radiation."

"As a result, the parents and children are seriously worried about their health down the road and are suffering from mental distress, they said in the complaint." One woman's child became ill after the initial radiation releases.

"Of the 88 plaintiffs, 24 children who live in Fukushima and are still attending school there are demanding that local municipal offices affirm their right to receive education in a safe environment." The Japan Times

Radiation is known to cause various diseases. The information sharing and evacuations following Fukushima were clearly botched and some people were exposed to radiation because of this incompetent handling of the crisis.

Children are particularly vulnerable to radiation exposure, so these families are not waiting until someone has taken ill to sue for compensation. This lawsuit implies that exposure to radiation against their will, and due to government incompetence, is enough to allow them compensation since their risk of contracting certain diseases has been increased.