Miscarriages and Congenital Conditions in Offspring of Veterans of the British Nuclear Atmospheric Test Programme

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atomic weapons testing, British nuclear test veterans association, chromosome translocations, congenital conditions, genetic impacts, hereditary genetic impacts ionizing radiation, ionizing radiation, long term consequences nuclear energy, miscarriages, nuclear power, nuclear test veterans, nuclear weapons, nuclear weapons testing, operation grapple, Remembrance Day, veterans, Veterans Day

“Ionizing radiation is known to cause genetic and genomic damage in humans and causes increases in chromosome aberrations. Damage to germ cells can manifest itself as congenital effects in offspring.“ (Busby and de Messieres, 2014).


“Miscarriages and Congenital Conditions in Offspring of Veterans of the British Nuclear Atmospheric Test Programme” by Christopher Busby and Mireille Escande de Messieres
“Abstract
A postal questionnaire case-control study examined miscarriage in wives and congenital conditions in offspring of the 2007 membership of the British Nuclear Test Veterans Association, a group of ex-servicemen who were stationed at atmospheric nuclear weapon test sites between 1952-67. Results were compared with a veteran-selected control group and also with national data. Based on 605 veteran children and 749 grandchildren compared with 311 control children and 408 control grandchildren there were significant excess levels of miscarriages, stillbirths, infant mortality and congenital illnesses in the veterans’ children relative both to control children and expected numbers. 105 miscarriages in veteran’s wives compared with 18 in controls OR=2.75 (1.56, 4.91; p=00016). There were 16 stillbirths; 3 in controls (OR=2.70 (0.73, 11.72; p=0.13). Perinatal mortality OR was 4.3 (1.22, 17.9; p=.01) on 25 deaths in veteran children. 57 veteran children had congenital conditions vs. 3 control children (OR=9.77 (2.92, 39.3); p=0.000003) these rates being also about 8 times those expected on the basis of UK EUROCAT data for 1980-2000. For grandchildren, similar levels of congenital illness were reported with 46 veteran grandchildren compared with 3 controls OR=8.35 (2.48, 33.8) p=0.000025. There was significantly more cancer in the veteran grandchildren than controls.

Whilst caution must be exercised due to structural problems inherent in this study we conclude that the veterans’ offspring qualitatively exhibit a prevalence of congenital conditions significantly greater than that of controls and also that of the general population in England. The effect remains highly statistically significant even assuming a high selection bias in the responses and credibility is strengthened by the high rates of miscarriage reported by the veterans compared with controls, a result which could hardly have been due selection effects” “

Miscarriages and Congenital Conditions in Offspring of Veterans of the British Nuclear Atmospheric Test Programme“, by Christopher Busby and Mireille Escande de Messieres, Sep 29, 2014 Busby, et al., Epidemiology (sunnyvale) 2014, 4:4 http://dx.doi.org/10.4172/2161-1165.1000172 Open-Access, CC-BY

After this study was published, new research on nuclear workers (US, UK, France) was published indicating that the excess cancer risk from (very) low level radiation exposure is around 10 times greater than BEIR VII (2005) estimated [1], and around 10 to 20 times greater than ICRP estimates.[2] Over their entire careers the nuclear workers received only around 4 mSv median and 21 mSv mean (arithmetic average). Thus, the dangers of low level radiation are even worse than thought. This is worth bearing in mind when reading the article, even though it has to do primarily with miscarriages and congenital conditions.

Entire Busby and de Messieres study. Emphasis added throughout:














Original pdf without highlights found here: http://www.omicsonline.org/open-access/miscarriages-and-congenital-conditions-in-offspring-of-veterans-of-the-british-nuclear-atmospheric-test-programme-2161-1165.1000172.pdf

The deadline for comment on the US NRC 100 mSv per year exposure proposal, also known as cancer for everyone, is November 19th. Network-Organize! http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=NRC-2015-0057 Based on the new study, this would result in an extra 100 cancer per 100 people over a 10 year period, or 10% per year.

More importantly, complain to your government officials, as well. In fact, whine and complain about this potential 100 mSv per year genocide to as many people as you can.

Note 1:
https://miningawareness.wordpress.com/2015/10/22/nuclear-worker-study-affirms-that-low-doses-of-radiation-are-deadly-increased-cancer-risk-much-worse-than-previously-believed/ https://miningawareness.wordpress.com/2015/10/21/new-study-of-us-uk-french-nuclear-workers-supports-linear-no-threshold-model-radiation-is-bad-for-you-increased-dose-is-increased-risk-hormesis-debunked-funding-from-pro-nuclear-govts-nuclea/
Note 2: The figure depends on which ICRP version (1991 or 2007) and what they are evaluating. If they are only reporting cancer deaths, then they are roughly in line with BEIR VII, meaning that the new study shows excess relative risk as around 10 times greater. However, if their numbers include illness, death and other diseases-genetic defects, which they seem to claim, then excess relative risk of cancer in the new study is around 20 times greater- maybe more.