Radiation and mutation

[biopearl123]

Handing the responsibility of board moderation to another allows me to defer to Ashah’s judgement about what I am about to say and I will respect whether he allows the following to stand in light of our assiduous avoidance of extraneous political commentary. Several decades ago I was diagnosed with Graves’ disease (profound hyperthyroidism), my treatment consisted of radioactive thyroid which I took orally. My urine was radioactive for a few days and I had to live in isolation in a hotel away from my family. I was told my risk of leukemia would go up by a fraction of a percent over time. I also worked in the cardiac catheterization lab and the electrophysiology lab for many years with the attendant radiation exposure my profession demanded. My radiation detection badges spoke to this and at times I exceeded the max allowable exposures. I accepted this risk on behalf of my patients, but I fully expect one day there will be a reckoning. I always followed the treatment of leukemia with interest possibly influenced by this events. In any case we know the effects of radiation on the bone marrow and the high incidence of leukemia related to radiation exposure. I suppose we have Marie Curie to thank for highlighting this on a personal basis but later came the experiences of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the immediate destruction as well as the longer term horrors that followed. So also from Chernobyl due to incredible Russian (the reactor was on Ukrainian soil but was managed by the Russians), malfeasance and incompetence. In recent times we have been made aware of the terrorist potential of “dirty bombs” that can be hidden is suitcases and on a much much much larger basis the nuclear risks from warheads. Putins threats of nuclear war have probably been a factor in President Biden’s decision to make it very clear that Ukraine is not a NATO country and article 5 does not apply. We and Europe are petrified justly of the threat of a nuclear confrontation. But now, as the largest nuclear reactor in Eastern Europe is under bombardment, the worlds largest non warhead “dirty bomb” has the potential to spread radioactive material over large areas. Bone marrows will mutate, people will die a Marie Curie like death. So it depends which way the wind blows the radioactive material. If it blows over Russia, Putin will have killed his own people (he will undoubted blame the Ukrainians or the US). If it blows over Europe and Scandinavia he will have made war well beyond Ukraine’s boarders with a dirty nuclear bomb without the suitcase. Many will have bone marrow failures and leukemia. The risks are very high here. There is not enough Imetelstat in the world to deal with this lunacy. God bless the brave Ukrainian people and the Churchillian Zelinskyy. He gives the world a lesson in bravery and selfless leadership. God bless the United State of America and our leaders. As for Putin, I agree with the Ukrainian soldiers on Snake Island. I would be grateful if these comments did not lead into a YMB type political discussion bp