May 6, 2003

Dear Mr. Graham

Having survived cancer and avoided chemotherapy and radiation, I found your site while surfing the other day and found it very interesting. If I might make a suggestion, you might want to advise your readers of the following facts about radiation: 

Many of the discoverers of radioactivity died due to radiation-induced cancer. For example, Marie Curie, the discoverer of radium, died along with here daughter of the same disease, radiation-induced leukemia.

Ionizing radiation can also cause death by radiation sickness. 

Japanese civilians who were not vaporized by the Hiroshima and Nagasaki nuclear attacks in WW II later died of radiation sickness and cancer. Due to the chaos produced by the war, it is not possible to determine the exact number of deaths due to radiation. Nonetheless, it is thought that the numbers are several thousand. 

Depleted uranium, a radioactive weapon, has been used by our nation to kill people in Bosnia and Iraq. 

To test the effects of radiation, our government ordered soldiers to expose themselves to radiation during the testing of nuclear bombs. Those who survived these experiments have now developed cancer and other major illnesses. 

There are some scientists who believe there is no safe level of radiation. 

All Americans have already received some level of ionizing radiation due to radioactive fallout, radon gas in the home, and/or medical x-rays. 

If you live within 50 miles of a nuclear power plant, you are constantly being subject to low levels of radiation.

The ionizing radiation dosage for inducing cancer is lower than the lethal dose.

It can be difficult to determine the radiation dosage for cancer induction because of other factors such as electromagnetic radiation exposure, diet, poisoning (fluoride in water, aspartame, etc.).

The lethal dose of ionizing radiation is 1,000 rads.

The ionizing radiation dosage for breast cancer treatments starts at 2,500 rads; spread out over the course of treatment.

The ionizing radiation dosage for brain cancer starts at 40,000 rads.

If you compare the side effects of radiation therapy to the symptoms of radiation sickness, you will find they are the same.

The medical community's assertion that radiation can be contained to one part of the body is untrue. For example, Gary Null did an interview with a breast cancer survivor. She said that when she had radiation therapy, the beam went right through her chest into her lung, causing lung cancer.

Finally, while acknowledging that one of the side effects of radiation therapy is death, the websites that I have visited on the subject of radiation therapy state that nevertheless, cancer patients still ought t have radiation therapy because the "benefits outweigh the risks." Only if you think death is a benefit.

Sincerely,

Christine Ross
Virginia Beach, VA