Citizen Epidemiology: Be a part of the “next step”…

For citizens fighting to protect their homes from radiation abuse.

People fed up with regulators who don’t regulate, institutions which won’t cooperate, and the Bush/Cheney/Exelon “nuclear renaissance” (or “relapse,” depending on your perspective) can begin to stop this abuse and reclaim their energy future this month in Chicago. “The Next Step – Citizen Epidemiology” is literally the “next step” in the process following the highly successful 2003 Hamburg World Uranium Weapons Conference recommendations, and the 2004 Chicago Nuclear Power and Children’s Health low-level radiation conference: to enable and empower people in their own investigation into contamination and exposures from nuclear facilities and sources.

The Conference will take place May 20-22 on the Evanston Campus of Northwestern University. Friday’s events will take place at the Annenberg Building; Saturday and Sunday at Harris Hall, both on South Campus, near the downtown Evanston Davis Street “L” and Metra train stops. The event is co-sponsored by Nuclear Energy Information Service (NEIS) of Evanston, Northwestern SEED, Traprock Peace Center of Massachusetts; Gewaltfreie Aktion Atomwaffen Abschaffen (GAAA) of Germany; and Science for Peace of Canada. Tuition is $30 for the weekend

WHY NOW?:

The nuclear industry has embarked on a self-proclaimed “nuclear renaissance” to attempt to woo policy makers and the public on the alleged benefits of building more nuclear reactors, building more bombs, and creating radioactive weaponry. Illinois’ own Exelon Corporation – the nation’s largest nuclear utility – leads a consortium called “NuStart,” which is dedicated to building a new reactor “somewhere” in the US by the year 2010 – with lots of taxpayer subsidies, courtesy of the Bush/Cheney Administration’s Energy Policy plans. Depleted uranium munitions and “mini-nukes” seem to be the new weapons of choice of today’s military planners. Materials currently classified as “low-level” radioactive wastes in the US are slated for “de-regulation,” to become re-manufactured into consumer goods. The FDA tells us that intense radiation bombardment, not better inspection and hygienic conditions, will save society from harmful microbes in meats and other foods. The nuclear industry is trying to expand --on all fronts.

However, this expansion also comes at a time when, quite literally, almost everything we thought we knew about exposures to low-doses of radiation – at or even below the levels Exelon and other nuclear cheerleaders say their plants produce, and which we shouldn’t bother ourselves about – seem to be wrong. Health effects of these so-called low-doses seem, paradoxically, to be significantly higher than was previously thought possible.

Further, institutions charged with protecting the public from radiation exposure seem either to be AWOL, or colluding actively with the nuclear industry. Some examples:

 The World Health Organization (WHO), the international agency charged with setting so called “safe” levels for radiation exposure for the world, is prevented by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) from publishing any heath results or studies that could be found damaging to the promotion of nuclear power without IAEA’s permission. Several significant studies about radiation exposure effects, one about Chernobyl, remain bottled up by this muzzling and corruption of the scientific process.
 Citizens in Wales who demanded public health records for the area around a nuclear reactor facility near their community were outright refused the information by the local health authorities. Citizens living near the Dresden nuclear reactors southwest of Chicago noticed what they believed was a statistically significant “cluster” of unusual childhood cancers in the area, yet local health officials could find no evidence of this; and residents of sparsely populated Long Island, New York, were told that the presence of 7 cases of the extremely rare condition rhabdomyosarcoma were just a statistical “anomoly.”
 Citizens of Vieques, Puerto Rico, struggled for decades to end military weapons testing at the U.S. Navy bombing range on their island, and to get a major health study done on the local population. Now the government refuses to release the results of the already completed study.
 Veterans returning from both of the recent Gulf Wars test “positive” for uranium in their bodies, yet are repeatedly told by the Dept. of Defense and the Veterans Administration that there are no reported harmful effects known resulting from exposures to “depleted uranium” (DU) weapons used in the Gulf Wars. To date nearly 300,000 military personnel may have received such exposure; not to mention the 25 million Iraqis who don’t get shipped “back home” someplace else, and who simply have to live with the hazard from this perpetually contaminated landscape.
 For the fourth time in 15 years, the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is proposing regulations that would result in the “de-regulation” of certain so-called “low-level” radioactive wastes, so that these contaminated materials could be made available for “unrestricted use” in the manufacture of various kinds of consumer products.

Citizens no longer believe they can trust the institutions set up to protect them from the effects of ionizing radiation. Their only alternative is to get the information themselves, in the most credible manner possible.

Two of the Recommendations of the 2003 Hamburg Conference called for 1.) development of epidemiological survey tools, to be used in places of contamination like around nuclear testing sites and nuclear weapons production facilities at home, and abroad in affected war regions like Iraq and Afghanistan (countries which, due to the destruction of their economies, will need specific support by the international peace movement to be able to conduct epidemiological surveys), but also around other nuclear sites (e.g., nuclear and reprocessing plants), and among other potentially contaminated populations (e.g., Gulf War veterans, residents living near radioactive weapons manufacturing plants, aerospace workers); and 2.) establishment of an international research effort – the term “free university” was used -- to train people to accurately collect valid and reliable data “independent” of existing institutions being controlled, censored, or influenced by the nuclear industry and its allies in political power circles (e.g., WHO, NRC, IAEA, DOE).

The ability to produce valid and reliable epidemiological data is not beyond the capability of the lay person. It does however require a group of committed, properly supervised and trained people. This upcoming conference will teach people how to conduct their own scientific survey in support of independent scientists; and what effect these results will have. This Conference is set up to achieve these goals.

THE PROPOSED PROGRAM:

Over the course of 2-1/2 days, participants will hear detailed presentations from several noted, professionally trained international researchers who have actually conducted this kind of independent survey, who will share their methods, expertise, and results. Next, participants will engage in workshops with these researchers, who will assist in helping develop investigative plans for those attending the sessions. On the final day, discussion of furthering the goal of the “free university” concept will take place. Sessions will be supplemented by DVD, PowerPoint and video presentations; and copies of existing epidemiological tools used by the researchers will be made available.

INVITED SPEAKERS/PRESENTATIONS:

Planners have assembled a team of national experts who have actually done this kind of “barefoot epidemiology” in the past. Presenters include:

 Dr. Chris Busby, Wales, European Committee on Radiation Risk (ECRR); director, Green Audit
 Dr. Ernest Sternglass, USA, co-founder of the “Tooth Fairy” Project
 Dr. Judith Johnsrud, Environmental Coalition on Nuclear Power; Sierra Club National Radwaste Advisor, USA,
 Cindy Folkers, staff researcher, Nuclear Information and Resource Service, USA
 Dr. Jawad Al-Ali, Iraq, Oncologist in Basra (due to difficulty obtaining a visa, Dr. Al Ali will be here by taped interview, and through a videotape of a Conference in which he participated earlier this year)
 Two important video contributions: "The Doctor, the DU, and the Dying Children," with Dr. Sigmund Horst Gunter; and “Nuclear Controversies (Atomic Lies - updated),” from Wladimir Tchertkoff, broadcasted on Swiss TV, 2004.

In addition materials from other such researchers who could not attend will be made available. A follow-up training session is being planned for the summer in Chicago.

WHAT THE CONFERENCE WILL AND WON’T DO:

Attending this Conference will not make a professional epidemiologist out of anyone. The intent is rather:

 to provide people with successful examples of where and under what circumstances these techniques have worked;
 to inform activists on the latest thinking and understanding of the effects of low-dose exposures to ionizing radiation;
 to have trained professionals teach people the important and useful techniques to begin the process of collecting their own data for use and analysis;
 to provide useful, easily understood tools and materials to help with this data gathering, and guidance as to where and how these tools can or shouldn’t be used;
 to examine the role and use of so-called “anecdotal evidence,” and how it can contribute to a more thorough understanding of radiation exposure issues;
 to publicly announce the that the credibility of existing institutions on the issue of radiation exposure is seriously in doubt, and possibly irreparable; and that, in the absence of believable public institutions and information, people have a right to protect themselves, their families and homes by collecting the data they need to get their legitimate questions answered to their own satisfaction and understanding.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND:

 activists and organizers dealing with nuclear facilities and populations exposed to ionizing radiation
 citizens not satisfied with or denied health and exposure information from existing public health and regulatory institutions, who want to independently check their findings and statements
 public health professionals and practitioners dealing with populations potentially or actually exposed to ionizing radiation
 public officials responsible for public health, safety and welfare, looking to more critically examine existing health data
 people who want to know how to convert “anecdotal stories” about possible or actual radiation exposures into more credible facts and statements about them

The Conference welcomes the support of additional co-sponsors, endorsing groups, and financial contributors. In the US, all contributions would be tax deductible.

Abolitionist Frederick Douglas accurately noted, “Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what people will submit to, and you have found the exact amount of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them; and these will continue until they are resisted with either words or blows, or both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress."

Knowledge IS power. The purpose of this Conference is to provide people with the ability to get the knowledge they need to take back their own power on nuclear and health issues; and to demand the kind of accountability from public health and regulatory institutions that is currently lacking.

For more information, updates and to download forms and schedules go to: www.neis.org
or contact: Dave Kraft, NEIS , Neis (at) neis.org, (847)869-7650; -7658 fax