A MATCH MADE IN HELL: THE IAEA/WHO AGREEMENT

Not many people know about resolution WHA 12.40. Created in 1959, this agreement links two very visible United Nations Agencies: The World Health Organization and the International Atomic Energy Agency with manipulative and restrictive language: first it insists that the agencies consult with each other when investigating matters important to either, and second it allows each to keep certain information secret if releasing it would "…interfere with the orderly conduct of its operations."

In reality, these two agencies should have little to do with each other—WHO "promote(s) and protect(s) the health of all peoples…" where health is defined as "not merely the absence of disease or infirmity" but "the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health." IAEA on the other hand, has as one of its mandates "to accelerate and enlarge the contribution of atomic energy to peace, health and prosperity throughout the world"—a statement that assumes too much about an energy source proven to be the most expensive boondoggle in modern history—still costing us billions of dollars and countless lives. But nuclear power warps reality, among other things.

The result? Independent researchers, medical doctors, public health officials and the general public should regard many years of research into the link between exposure to ionizing radiation and cancer with much skepticism. Vital research, from Chernobyl victims to weapons facility workers, has been buried or tainted by an industry-beholden UN Agency. There is an international movement underway to divest the IAEA from the WHO by changing the wording of WHA 12.40 and by bringing to light the damage this agreement has caused.