Complex Problem

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30677, 17 February 1965, Page 8

Complex Problem

(New Zealand Press Association)

AUCKLAND, Feb. 16.

It was certain the concept of “the ray” or “the bomb” as a major cause of the rising leukemia rate was an extreme over-sim-plification of a highly complex and still only partly-understood problem, Dr. F. W. Gunz, of the pathology department, Christchurch Hospital, told the Science Congress today. The leukemia incidence and mortality rate had been rising steadily in most countries fc- 40 to 50 years—long before fall-out was dreamed of—and there has been no acceleration since atomic testing was started. If anything, the process had apparently slowed down. “There is no clear-cut evidence to show whether

or not natural background irradiation causes leukemia,” he said. “Much less so can we be dogmatic about the dangers of fall-out, radiation from which is on an average much lower than that from natural background.”

Medical radiations were much more likely to cause leukemia because the doses in individual cases tended to be larger. The situation was very complicated with diagnostic radiation when very large doses could occasionally be received, especially by neurotics who believed in frequent check-ups. But apart from such unusual cases the doses were so small that they might be sub-threshold.