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Silent Witnesses—Three Decades After Chernobyl’s Disaster

During the last few years, Hans Wolkers and Daan Kloeg, photographers, journalists and scientists, documented the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster. They visited the area around the exploded reactor multiple times and photographed the lasting impact of the disaster. They also talked to scientists, eye witnesses, and people that still live in their radioactive homes.

Their efforts resulted in a unique book, covering the most remarkable aspects of the biggest nuclear disaster in the world. The book tells the story of Chernobyl, so it will never be forgotten.

Sales of this book help support the people who moved back into the “death zone” around the ruined reactor.  The book contains 180 pages of excellent photographs and text. www.chernobylwitness.com

Please share this information with your contacts.
Thank you—JDS

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Nuclear Hotseat: Chernobyl Anniversary Special 2014

Libbe HaLevy, Producer/Host, Nuclear Hotseat Podcast produced a special anniversary podcast that contains portions of an interview with Dr. Sherman.

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New York Times Reports on Chernobyl

Henry Fountain writes about Dr. Tim Mousseau, a biologist from the University of North Carolina:

“Dr. Mousseau, a biologist at the University of South Carolina, has been coming to the contaminated area around Chernobyl, known as the exclusion zone, since 1999. The list of creatures he has studied is long: chiffchaffs, blackcaps, barn swallows and other birds; insects, including bumblebees, butterflies and cicadas; spiders and bats; and mice, voles and other small rodents. After the nuclear meltdowns at Fukushima, Japan, three years ago he has conducted similar research there, too.

In dozens of papers over the years Dr. Mousseau, his longtime collaborator, Anders Pape Moller of the National Center for Scientific Research in France, and colleagues have reported evidence of radiation’s toll: higher frequencies of tumors and physical abnormalities like deformed beaks among birds compared with those from uncontaminated areas, for example, and a decline in the populations of insects and spiders with increasing radiation intensity.

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The Truth about Three Mile Island

Beyond Nuclear aims to educate and activate the public about the connections between nuclear power and nuclear weapons and the need to abandon both to safeguard our future. Beyond Nuclear advocates for an energy future that is sustainable, benign and democratic. www.beyondnuclear.org

“The disaster at Unit 2 of the Three Mile Island (TMI) nuclear power plant near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, began on March 28, 1979. Now, 35 years later, the reality, not only of what happened, but also the long-term aftermath and effects, remain cloaked in mystery and misinformation. Ironically, despite today’s popular “too much information” shorthand, TMI is a story of too little information. Beyond Nuclear has endeavored to dig into the lies and myths and uncover the truth about TMI. Starting with the disaster narrative we take a look at: the “no one died at TMI” myth; how much radiation really got out; the lack of adequate emergency planning and protective measures; the people’s experience downwind of the disaster; and the impacts on plants and animals. We hear from engineer, Arnie Gundersen, and longtime campaigner, Dr. Judith Johnsrud. Finally, we compare the mistakes of TMI with those at the Chernobyl and Fukushima disasters. If the lessons of TMI, Chernobyl and now Fukushima are unlearned, we are destined to repeat, rather than prevent them the next time. And until all nuclear power plants are closed, that “next time” is a tragic inevitability.” (JDS Italics)

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Mourning the Death of Dr. David Patterson

PSR Wisconsin
2712 Marshall Court, Suite 2
Madison, WI 53705-2282
info@psrwisconsin.org

For further information contact
Pam Kleiss 608/232-9945
For Immediate Release: Friday, January 24, 2014

Jeff Patterson, DO, Madison physician and professor was an indefatigable champion serving Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) Wisconsin and will be sorely missed by all who knew and worked with him. Jeff passed away on Thursday night, January 23, of a heart attack.

Dr. Patterson first work with PSR was to establish the Madison PSR chapter. With two other founding members and students at the UW medical school, they challenged the concept of a “winnable nuclear war.” Hundreds of people joined to formalize the Madison PSR chapter in 1983. Jeff remained very active in the chapter throughout three decades, and particularly enjoyed providing direction to interested medical students and nurturing their understanding of humanitarian ethics and activism.

Dr. Patterson served in every capacity at PSR, from decades on the PSR’s board of trustees to terms as the president in 2010 and 2013. He served as International Councilor with the US affiliate of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, winner of the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize. He traveled extensively in the former USSR, visiting Chernobyl and sites of nuclear testing and nuclear weapons’ production. He lectured about the effects of nuclear weapons and radiation there, in Europe, and in the US. He was also interested in non-violent alternatives to war as means of preventing war and sustainable methods of ameliorating climate change. He provided pivotal guidance to staff and educated the public on the threats from nuclear power, especially after the disaster in Fukushima.

“Jeff was so committed to our collective struggle to protect our world for our children and grandchildren,” added Dr. Bob Gould, current president of PSR. Jeff exuded compassion. He cared for human life and committed himself to the relief of suffering; it motivated all his work. Jeff was a gentle soul with a powerful spirit and always a calming influence in difficult times.

While Jeff regularly served as an expert speaker, he approached this task from stories of human health and as a witness to those suffering. He had a gift for sharing the stories of people impacted by radiation exposure, from poor, elderly farmers in the abandoned land around Chernobyl and concerned mothers downwind of Fukushima to veterans exposed to radiation in the line of duty. All stories from his own experience as a doctor and activist and from first-hand conversations with the people affected.

In addition to his extensive service with PSR, Dr. Patterson was the medical director of the Hackett Hemwall Foundation (HHF), a charitable foundation doing charitable medical work in Honduras, Mexico, and the Philippines. Through the foundation and with the help of many dedicated volunteers, he taught physicians from over 20 countries the procedures of prolotherapy to treat chronic pain. He practiced medicine and was the former director of the Northeast Family Medical Center in and a Professor of Family Medicine at the University of Wisconsin.

Jeff listened carefully and attentively; he had a huge capacity for kindness and was a nurturing physician and colleague. His internal compass pointed others to just acts and a world without suffering. He served his patients and the international peace community well and we are grateful to have had the opportunity to learn from him. We will miss but always remember his deep, reasonable voice and wise counsel.

Jeff is survived by daughter Becca and grandchild, Kira, and Mary Doherty, his loving partner of many years.

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Nuclear Hotseat’s Chernobyl Anniversary Special

On April 23, 2013, Libby HaLevy conducted three special interviews with Alexei Yablokov, Dr. Janette Sherman, and Chernobyl survivor Bonnie Kouneva for her Nuclear Hotseat Podcast. They discussed the Legacy of Chernobyl and the implications to Fukushima and the future of the people of Japan.

  • Chernobyl survivor Bonnie Kouneva, who as a 16-year-old lived in Bulgaria, 800 miles away from the nuclear disaster… but it wasn’t far enough.
  • Dr. Alexei Yablokov, who compiled over 5,000 research papers in multiple languages for the book, Chernobyl: Consequences of the Catastrophe for People and the Environment, as well as co-founding Greenpeace, Russia.
  • Dr. Janette Sherman, known for her work with Joseph Mangano on statistical studies indicating infant deaths and hypothyroidism in the US after Fukushima as well as editing the English translation of Alexei Yablokov’s  book.
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Devastation and Hope: Chernobyl at 27

Joseph J. Mangano and Dr. Janette D. Sherman, MD write for Counterpunch

The 27th anniversary of the catastrophic nuclear meltdown at Chernobyl reminds us of both a sad legacy and a positive impact on the future.

The bad news came first. Chernobyl stunned many with the first total core meltdown of a nuclear reactor. A massive amount of deadly radiation encircled the northern hemisphere, affecting three billion people, and entered human bodies through breathing and the food chain. Some of the 100-plus radioactive chemicals from Chernobyl last for hundreds and thousands of years.

How many did Chernobyl harm? Before scientific studies could be done, skeptics commonly used the number 31 – the number of rescue workers extinguishing toxic fires who absorbed a very high radiation dose and died in a matter of days.

Beginning just six years after the 1986 meltdown, medical journal articles began to show rising numbers of people with certain diseases near Chernobyl. The first of these was children with thyroid cancer. Officials at a 2005 meeting in Vienna estimated 9,000 persons worldwide had developed cancer from the meltdown. But many anecdotes and studies had piled up, suggesting the real number was much greater.

In 2009, the New York Academy of Sciences published a book by a trio of Russian researchers, headed by Alexei Yablokov; one of us (JDS) edited the book. Yablokov’s team gathered an incredible 5,000 reports and studies. Many were written in Slavic languages and had never been seen by the public. The book documented high levels of disease in many organs of the body, even beyond the former Soviet Union. The Yablokov team estimated 985,000 persons died worldwide, a number that has risen since.

Government and industry leaders in the nuclear field assured the world that the lesson of Chernobyl had been learned, and that another full core meltdown would never occur. But on March 11, 2011 came the tragedy at Fukushima, releasing enormous amounts of radioactivity from not just one, but three reactor cores, and a pool storing nuclear waste. Again, the radioactivity circled the globe. Estimates of eventual casualties are in the many thousands.

In an odd way, Fukushima triggered the positive impact of Chernobyl. The two disasters are a major reason why few new nuclear reactors are being built, and why existing units are now closing. All but two (2) of 50 Japanese reactors remain shut. Germany closed six (6) of its units permanently and its government pledged to close the others by 2022. Swiss officials made a similar vow.

In the U.S., most plans to build dozens of new reactors have been scrapped or postponed.  The nation’s first two reactor closings since 1998 occurred this year. More shut downs will follow, say nuclear executives who assert that nuclear power costs more to produce than power from natural gas or wind. Reactors cost more largely due to greater dangers that require more time for construction, more staff to operate, more security measures, more regulations to comply with, and huge amounts to secure after shut down.

If Chernobyl harmed many people, it may also eventually save many lives by speeding the shut down of reactors. Fewer meltdowns would mean fewer casualties. But ending routine releases of radioactivity into the environment would also reduce the count. Studies have found that in local areas after a reactor closing, fewer infants die, fewer children develop cancer, and eventually fewer adults develop cancer. Chernobyl left a tragic impact, but eventual outcomes will be positive ones.

Joseph J. Mangano MPH MBA is Executive Director of the Radiation and Public Health Project.

Janette D. Sherman MD is an internist and toxicologist, and editor of Chernobyl: Consequences of the Catastrophe for People and the Environment.

Weekend Edition April 26-28, 2013

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Fukushima’s Nuclear Casualties by Joseph Mangano on Counterpunch.org

Two Years Later, the Battle for Truth Continues

Exactly two years after the Fukushima nuclear disaster, perhaps the most crucial issue to be addressed is how many people were harmed by radioactive emissions.

The full tally won’t be known for years, after many scientific studies. But some have rushed to judgment, proclaiming exposures were so small that there will be virtually no harm from Fukushima fallout. . . .

It is crucial that researchers don’t wait years before analyzing and presenting data, even though the amount of available information is still modest. To remain silent while allowing the “no harm” mantra to spread would repeat the experiences after Three Mile Island and Chernobyl, and allow perpetration of the myth that meltdowns are harmless. Researchers must be vigilant in pursuing an understanding of what Fukushima did to people – so that all-too-common meltdown will be a thing of the past.

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Joseph J. Mangano MPH MBA is Executive Director of the Radiation and Public Health Project.


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Free Download of Chernobyl Book

Down load a free PDF of Chernobyl: Consequences of the Catastrophe for People and the Environment

Written by Alexey V. Yablokov, Vassily B. Nesterenko and Alexey V. Nesterenko, Edited by Janette Sherman-Nevinger

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Fukushima is Worse Than Chernobyl

Dr. Sherman and Joseph Mangano write for the San Francisco BayView newspaper. They are concerned that steps be taken to document and analyze the effects of the nuclear meltdown and global exposure to radiation from the Fukushima Daichi power plant. Plans should also be made to address the probable increase in birth defects, cancers, thyroid diseases and other health problems will likely result from long term exposure to radioisotopes.

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