DR. JOHN GOFMAN'S LATEST WORK IMPLICATES X-RAYS IN CANCER AND HEART DISEASE Using the number of physicians per 100,000 people in the nine census regions, Dr. John Gofman's latest book indicates strong support for medical irradiation as "a highly important cause (probably the principal cause) of cancer mortality in the United States during the twentieth century." Additionally, the data show that "[m]edical radiation, received even at very low and moderate doses, is an important cause of Ischemic Hearth Disease (IHD)." This is the first work to present compelling evidence regarding causation of IHD by ionizing radiation. IHD does not include all forms of heart trouble. IHD indicates that there is a lack of blood to the heart muscle. Additional terms and names for IHD include coronary heart disease, coronary artery disease, hardening of the arteries, arteriosclerotic heart disease, coronary atherosclerosis, or plaque. All names indicate a clogging of the arteries which restricts blood flow. Therefore, other types of heart disease such as hypertensive and rheumatic were treated separately from IHD in this work. Dr. Gofman uses 1988 and 1993 UNSCEAR (United National Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation) reports to support his physician-per-population method. The report states "…a good correlation was shown to exist between the number of x-ray examinations per unit of population and the number of physicians per unit of population." Evidence presented by Dr. Gofman shows many cancer and IHD cases could be prevented with decreased exposure to medical radiation. For example, in the case of "All-Male-Cancers-Combined, 1988" fractional causation of medical radiation is 74%. This means that 74% of these cancer cases would not exist, absent medical radiation. Fractional causation still leaves room for additional causes of these diseases such as poor diet, smoking or other co-actors. Dr. Gofman concludes from other scientific research that "x-ray dosage, from nontherapeutic diagnostic and interventional radiology…could readily be cut by a factor of two or more…" without eliminating procedures or restricting benefit. --Cindy Folkers   Dr. John Gofman, M.D. Ph.D, Egan O'Connor, ed. Radiation from Medical Procedures in the Pathogenesis of Cancer and Ischemic Heart Disease: Dose-Response Studies with Physicians per 100,000 Population, CNR Book Division, 1999. For more information or to receive this book (cost $27.00), contact: Egan O'Connor, Committee for Nuclear Responsibility, Inc. P.O. Box 421993, San Francisco, CA 94142. A summary is available for $5.00.