Mutant Time Bomb or Weasel Words, Junk Science and Scare Mongering?

By Rich Kozlovich — Dec 10, 2018
Has the radioactive fallout from Chernobyl created mutant animals? Rich Kozlovich from the Paradigms and Demographics blog site doesn't think so.
Radioactive Wild Boars Near Chernobyl? Photo: The Sun

On December 6th, 2018 Jon Lockett posted the article, MUTANT TIME BOMB, all in caps I might add, and I can only assume that was for effect.  He starts out with two statements; 

  1. Chernobyl wolves infected with radiation feared to be spreading mutant genes across Europe"
  2. A scientific study raises the possibility the packs could spread radiation-caused mutations to other wolf populations

He then goes on to lay foundation saying: 

"Scientists fear wolves living in Chernobyl's radioactive forbidden zone may be spreading mutant genes across Europe. The European grey wolf population has boomed at the site since the human population moved out and it became a virtual wildlife preserve."  

"The wolf population inside Chernobyl's exclusion zone is booming since the disaster. Research now reveals some of the wolves - potentially affected by damaging radiation - have been crossing Ukraine's borders into Russia and Belarus. The news has sparked concerns among some in the scientific community that the animals may mate and spread mutant genes to other packs. The site became off limits to humans after the nuclear power plant disaster on 26 April 1986, due to concerns about the high levels of radiation."

 Okay, so we're supposed to believe this "fear" scientists have will cause a disaster by this "booming" wolf population breeding with wolves outside their area.  I think that bodes well this question:  If this area of radiation is so bad, and the potential for mutation is so dangerous - why did this population boom?  What evidence is there?  Let's continue!

He goes on to say

"Wolves were tracked leaving the exclusion zone and one even crossed into Russia (stock) Scientists believe the mutant gene theory is worth looking into The researchers found while the adult wolves stayed within the zone, the juvenile roamed far beyond its boundaries." .........."This raised questions about the effect of wolves potentially affected by radiation carrying mutant genes to pass onto other wolf communities."

He continues with:

"Studies of other animals -mostly smaller ones like birds, rodents, and insects -show that Chernobyl radiation can cause mutations and ill health. And work done in creatures such as barn swallows and voles suggests these mutations may be transferred to the next generation."......... wildlife ecologist Michael Byrne told Live Science he believes the mutant gene theory is something worth looking into.

I give the author credit for this small attempt to be unbiased by including this point by "the University of Missouri animal movement and ecology expert:" 

 "We have no evidence to support that this is happening. "No wolves there were glowing - they all have four legs, two eyes and one tail."

So to help pump the scare mongering well to the fullest he goes on to say: 

"The Chernobyl exclusion zone is also home to other species including moose, horses, bison, boars and red badgers. Last year, we told how radioactive boars were running wild in the Czech Republic after eating mushrooms contaminated after the Chernobyl disaster."

But what do we find?  They're all still alive, they all still have legs, eyes, tails, no obvious signs of mutation and they're all still having babies, who are also capable of having babies.  So all these concerns are supported by what?  Speculation and extrapolation, fear mongering, weasel words and media hype.  

Let's get the facts of the matter.  Intense doses of radiation are deadly and can seriously impact health.  But we need to get rid of this idea that radiation at every level is dangerous.  That's a false assumption and bad science based on what's called the Linear No Threshold toxicity model that has now been shown to not only to be junk science, but was in point of fact fraudulent.  

On November 9th 2018 I published an article by two friends of mine, Dr Jay Lehr and Paul Driessen entitled, Fraudulent science behind radiation regulations, saying:

"world-renowned toxicology expert Dr. Edward Calabrese has now discovered and documented fraud behind the award of the 1946 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine. The prize was given to Hermann Muller for his claimed discovery that even small or infinitesimal amounts of radiation can cause cancer. It is the ridiculous assertion that there is no threshold below which any kind of radiation is safe."

The article goes on to show:

  1. The fraud Muller perpetrated.
  2. The unwillingness of others to expose that fraud.
  3. How the world accepted scientific fraud that was blatantly and provably false.
  4. How the fraud was known by scientists who deliberately remained silent.
  5. And how the fraud "resulted in the U.S. National Academy of Sciences adopting the LNT in 1956 for all regulatory programs relating to radiation. This convention was subsequently adopted worldwide."

You may wish to view this video interview with Dr. Edward Calabrese entitled, Is Fear of Radiation Bad For Your Health.  

Well, at this point I don't see a Mutant Time Bomb.  What I see are weasel words, junk science and the typical scaremongering the media feeds to the public.  

Reposted with permission of the author. The original post can be found here.