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"Population Mixing" and Nuclear - A Health Warning?

Marianne Birkby | 31.01.2011 13:36 | Analysis | Energy Crisis | Health | Birmingham | World

If proposed nuclear developments in the North West go ahead - the population of West Cumbria will increase in a relatively short space of time by the tens of thousands.

image courtesy of TOXIC COAST
image courtesy of TOXIC COAST


Tim Farron MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale in Cumbria has been urged to
ask a question in Parliament on "population mixing" in the vicinity of
nuclear installations and predicted "significant increase in cancers and blood
disorders."

There have been lots of studies looking into why there are substantially
more childhood cancers and blood disorders in the vicinity (up to 50Km+)
around nuclear plants.

Successive governments have dismissed those studies which point to
radioactive emissions as the cause of cancers and blood disorders and have
endorsed those which point to "population mixing."

Radiation Free Lakeland have contacted the North of England Children's
Cancer Research Unit who were "unable to comment" but kindly pointed in
Dr Dickinson's direction for an answer. Dr Dickinson is the co- author
of the report: "Quantifying the effect of population mixing on childhood
leukaemia risk: the Seascale cluster".
Dr Dickinson's reply:
"I cannot speak for the North of England Children's Cancer Research Unit as
I have not worked there since June 2002, when I moved to a different area
of research from children's cancer.
....I retired from Newcastle University at the end of September 2010".

We suspect that this dismissive reply to the question of a public health
warning will be repeated from all authors of the "population mixing"
reports.

Will Cumbria will be issued with a public health warning as a result of
predicted "significant increase in risk" due to "population mixing" around nuclear installations?

Or is "population mixing" as everyone suspected, merely a smoke screen to
hide the truth about nuclear installations?


Correspondence Below
---------------------------- Original Message ----------------------------
Subject: Public Health Warning to Cumbria- Population Mixing
From: RaFL
Date: Mon, January 31, 2011 12:28 pm
To: Tim Farron
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Tim,

Below is a reply from the author of one of the reports which offer
"population mixing" as a reason for increased cancers and blood disorders
in the vicinity of nuclear reactors.

In the Westmorland and Lonsdale area we will be within the 50km vicinity
of both Heysham and proposed West Cumbria developments.

As a result of proposed nuclear developments the population is predicted
to increase in a very short space of time by the tens of thousands. The
North of England Children's Cancer Research Unit refused to comment and
pointed me in Dr Dickinson's direction for an answer. As you can see no
answer is forthcoming from Dr Dickinson on whether Cumbria will be issued
with a public health warning as a result of predicted "significant
increase in risk" due to "population mixing" around nuclear installations.

Would you consider asking a question - Will Cumbria be issued with a
public health warning regarding "population mixing" around nuclear
installations?

Many thanks.

best regards

Marianne Birkby
on behalf of Radiation Free Lakeland
(address)



 http://northern.indymedia.org/articles/1319

---------------------------- Original Message ----------------------------
Subject: RE: Population Mixing
From: "Heather Dickinson"
Date: Mon, January 31, 2011 9:07 am
To: Marianne Birkby
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Marianne
Thank you for your message.

I cannot speak for the North of England Children's Cancer Research Unit as
I have not worked there since June 2002, when I moved to a different area
of research from children's cancer.

I cannot speak for the Northern Institute for Cancer Research or Cancer
Research UK as I have never worked for them. The research you mention was
not supported financially by Cancer Research UK.

I retired from Newcastle University at the end of September 2010.

Heather Dickinson

>-----Original Message-----
>From: Marianne Birkby
>Sent: 26 January 2011 15:50
>To: Heather Dickinson
>Subject: Population Mixing
>
>Dear Dr Dickinson,
>
>In explaining significantly increased childhood cancers around nuclear
>plants the government has been persuaded by the "population mixing"
>model
>rather than emissions from nuclear power plants.
>
>A paper you wrote in 1999 describes population mixing as "a significant
>risk factor for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and non-Hodgkin's
>lymphoma,
>especially in young children, accounting for over 50% of cases in
>Cumbria
>and most cases in Seascale".
>
>If all the proposed nuclear developments in West Cumbria go ahead the
>population is predicted to increase in a relatively short period of time
>by tens of thousands.
>
>Will the North of England Children's Cancer Research Unit / Northern
>Institute for Cancer Research/Cancer Research UK be acting on their
>research and advising the government to put out a public health warning
>of
>the "significant risk factor"?
>
>yours sincerely,
>
>Marianne Birkby
>
>address>
>
>
>References:
>POLICE CHIEF'S HOPES AND FEARS OVER POPULATION BOOM
>Wed 19 Jan 11
> http://www.whitehaven-news.co.uk/news/police-chief-s-hopes-and-fears-
>over-population-boom-1.800525?referrerPath=news
>
>Quantifying the effect of population mixing on childhood leukaemia risk:
>the Seascale cluster
> http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2374359/
>
> The German KiKK study
> http://www.alfred-koerblein.de/cancer/english/kikk.htm
>

Marianne Birkby
- e-mail: rafl@mariannebirkby.plus.com
- Homepage: http://web.mac.com/mariannebirkby1/iWeb/Radiation%20Free%20Lakeland/Radiation%20Free%20Lakeland.html