How Radiation and Chemicals Pollute Our Internal & External Environment: Part 1
By Betty Albert, N.D.

John W. Gofman, M.D., Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Medical Physics at the University of California at Berkeley and considered to be an international authority on the health effects of radiation, estimates there are 3,771 fatal cancers for every million people exposed to one rem of radiation, making your chances about 1 in 250. As there are higher risks with higher doses of radiation, 10 rem exposures would pose a 1 in 25 chance of a lethal cancer. Radiation has a greater effect on young people and a cumulative effect over time. Even small doses collide with electrons, ripping them free from orbit, creating great havoc in the body in the form of mutating cells that can set a cancerous cell in motion, and/or lead to mutation in a future generation. Any change in the gene instruction or cell function is most detrimental to health. Today's mutation rate is double what it would be if not interfered with, contributing to the most aggressive forms of cancer and degenerative disease.

Dr. Gofman claims that medical x-rays are responsible for 50% of all cancer deaths and 60% of heart disease (that from blocked blood vessels). Medical Journals have reported that the combination of medical error and prescription drugs add up to a staggering 425,000 deaths per year. Added to the rest of the cancer and heart disease deaths in the U.S., this brings the total to 1,175,000 - or half of the deaths per year in the U.S.! This pushes medical radiation procedure, medical error and prescriptive drugs toward the number one cause of death in the U.S. today.

The practice of many medical practitioners having their own x-ray equipment gives rise to the questionable need for so many x-rays so often and at doses that appear excessive. Doctors order 3 million x-rays per year, dentists 1 million; the risks and dangers of which far outweigh the benefits. Alternatives include cutting the radiation in half, doctors owning less x-ray equipment, not ordering x-rays to be taken (most are unnecessary, unless it's a broken bone) and more education and choice on the part of the patient.

Medical radiation is not a single cause of cancer and heart disease, but "a necessary co-factor," along with such factors as other chemical or toxic exposures, poor nutrition/digestion, stress, negative attitudes, poor exercise and sleep habits, etc. Alternatives to medical radiation must be considered where applicable, such as thermography or ultra-sound.

Alternative Medicine Magazine issue #22 and an article in Nexus Magazine spell out the dangers of irradiated food, which kills enzymes and increases our personal exposure to radiation. As if the enzymes in food have a chance today, considering the poor soil conditions, GMOs, pesticides, chemical sprays, and other inorganic procedures. A main concern is that of placing (without our consent) irradiated meat in the school lunch programs. Irradiated food, like medical radiation, forms high-speed electrons creating new molecules not found in nature that cause mutations and carcinogens in the body.

Irradiation of foods has not been tested sufficiently to establish any safety standards. It makes far more common sense to improve the sanitary conditions at all sources instead of implementing irradiation to cover the bacteria factor. Citizens are urged to call their elected representatives AND BE HEARD on this issue.

Radiation Hazards

Electromagnetic radiation varies by wavelength and frequency, from low energy forms of radiation (long wavelengths and low frequencies, e.g., television and radio waves) to high energy forms (short wavelengths and high frequencies, e.g., microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet light, x-rays and gamma rays).

There are natural sources of radiation such as cosmic rays and the earth's natural minerals such as rubidium, uranium and thorium as well as cosmic or terrestrial levels of radiation, all of which can be harmful especially when compounded by man-made sources of radiation.

Radon gas, a radioactive by-product of uranium decay seeping up out of the earth, is one of the most dangerous sources of radioactivity in, of all places, the home. Radon decays, rather than the gas itself, pose a major health threat. According to 1988 EPA estimates, approximately 20% of US homes contain potentially toxic levels of radon gas. Glow in the dark dials, once painted with radium, are now made luminous with alternative but still radioactive substances. Smoke detectors depend on ionizing radiation for their operation. The list gets extensive. Minute as some of the emissions may be, it is the cumulative effect that is the concern.

Normal operation of nuclear plants and the production of nuclear weapons add appreciable amounts of radiation to the public at large, accidents notwithstanding. High and low-level nuclear generated waste is growing at alarming rates with few permanent solutions on the horizon.

The medical use of x-rays (allopathic practitioners, chiropractors, osteopaths, dentists) is by far the largest purveyor of man-made radiation in the world, exposing more individuals to ionizing radiation than both the nuclear power or weapons industries put together. In his book, "X-Rays: More Harm than Good," P. W. Laws points out that x-rays taken of the abdomen provide not only skin doses of radiation but high levels of ionizing radiation to the sex organs, as do lumbo-sacral spine, lumbar spine and intravenous pyelogram. X-rays bouncing around inside the body scatter radiopharmaceuticals through the bloodstream, and present risks to sensitive organs that never meant to be irradiated.

Apart from ionizing radiation (that which strips the electron from atoms), lower level forms of radiation from a growing number of devices are considered more harmful than originally thought. 'What about cell phones?', I hear you ask. The following is an excerpt from Dr. Mercola's web site (www.drmercola.com): Study Links Cell Phones To Brain Cancer Risk.

Concerns have been raised about whether cell phone use can be linked to the development of brain tumors. Now, a study from Swedish researchers provides evidence backing the claim.

Researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, based their findings on questionnaire and interview data obtained from 209 persons with brain tumors and 425 healthy control subjects. In a 2-year study, the team found an increased risk in anatomical areas of the brain exposed to microwaves during a mobile phone call. This risk holds even when statistical adjustments are made for other risk factors including ionizing radiation and laboratory exposures.

The researcher pointed out, however, that most of the people in the study used the older analog system, which gives two to three times higher exposure than the digital system, which is now mostly used - at least in Europe. Larger studies are necessary to make firm conclusions. The investigators have a much larger brain tumor study ongoing with about 1,500 incident patients and 1,500 controls and the results are expected within one year.

In light of their current findings, the authors offer several suggestions about cell phone usage. Use an earpiece to reduce exposure to the brain and, in a car, use an external fixed antenna. Otherwise, your exposure to microwaves might even be higher than using the phone outside the car. In addition, extended conversations should be conducted on a regular corded telephone.

Insofar as children are concerned, since the developing brain might be more sensitive to microwaves, children's exposure should be limited. One useful tip is to find out the specific absorption rate (SAR) value of various cell phone types. The SAR may differ by as much as a factor of 20 between different brands.

Original Study Medscape General Medicine, May 4, 2000

COMMENT: It is reprehensible to even consider that someone would allow a child to use a cell phone. The danger is far too great. We all need to reduce our exposure. The best way is to minimize their use to the smallest amount possible. Secondly, only use digital rather than analog phones, as the radiation dose is reduced by up to 90%. Thirdly, only use them with a headset. Please review the other articles for further information.

TOXIC CHEMICALS AND METALS

Additional pollutants such as aluminum, cadmium, carbon monoxide, chlorine, copper, fluoride, hexavalent chromium, industrial/agricultural chemicals, lead, mercury, nitrates/nitrites, nitrogen dioxide and ozone, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, synthetic and chemical drugs and tobacco smoke surround our very lives. They can be found in pots and pans, baking powder, over the counter drugs, food additives, plant foods, gardening substances, animal feeds, tap water, processed junk foods, cans of food, aluminum foil, cosmetics, processed flours/sugar and other refined foods. They are also in plastics, metal pipes, cigarette smoke, batteries, exhaust, smog, swimming pools, pesticides, film, paint, fish, amalgam fillings, processed meats, incense, street drugs... the list goes on.

NEXT ISSUE: Part 2: The Good News - How we can use natural resources to combat Radiation and Chemical Pollutants.

This information is for educational purposes only, and should not be used as a substitute for medical advice. All references should not be considered an endorsement, either direct or implied, by author or publisher, but as information for the discernment of the reader. Send your comments, questions, concerns, and requests for more info to healthnaturally@earthlink.net or call (925) 964-1958.

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Betty Albert, N.D., is a naturopathic practitioner, workshop leader and Danville business owner of Natural Health Center . . . your resource for life balance.