On Fox News, Ann Coulter Says Radiation is Good for You (Video)

[Nathanael]

This is real. What are your thoughts?

It's true that certain fears of a nuclear apocalypse are way overblown, and that news organizations that are seeking to cash in on the panic are behaving unscrupulously (I'm looking at you, New York Post). But sensationalism can break both ways -- and there's no excuse for the junk science and potentially dangerous message that the political pundit Ann Coulter is peddling: That receiving radiation in doses in excess the federally designated safe levels is actually "good for you". Coulter pushed this notion first in a syndicated column, then in a segment on Fox News. Just watch. Of course, this idea is very, very wrong.

In fact, Joe Romm points us to the most recent study done by the National Acadamies' National Research Center on this very subject -- and guess what that study's called? Health Risks from Exposure to Low Levels of Ionizing Radiation: Low Levels of Ionizing Radiation May Cause Harm. Yes, the prevailing wisdom of scientists, in the most up-to-date peer-reviewed work on the subject, shows that even exposure to low levels of radiation can be dangerous.

The report clearly states that "A preponderance of scientific evidence shows that even low doses of ionizing radiation, such as gamma rays and X-rays, are likely to pose some risk of adverse health effects." And there's more:

"The scientific research base shows that there is no threshold of exposure below which low levels of ionizing radiation can be demonstrated to be harmless or beneficial," said committee chair Richard R. Monson, associate dean for professional education and professor of epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston. "The health risks -- particularly the development of solid cancers in organs -- rise proportionally with exposure."

Again, this doesn't mean run for the hills if you live within 3,000 miles of Japan -- it just means we should be behaving responsibly, and taking into account the best science when discussing the risks and complexities of the current situation. It also means that we should be rushing to debunk opportunists like Coulter, who smell a chance to grab the spotlight with some tantalizingly contrarian ideas -- and who don't give a damn whether those ideas are actually backed by science, or even if they might be leaving people with some dangerously misleading information.

Watch the video here: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/03/fox-news-ann-coulter-radiation-good-for-you-video.php

[Blue Owl]

1. So is friendly fire!

:crazy:

[AtheistCrusader]

2. The pretext could be accurate.

For minute doses. Possibly. Further study required.

The subtext of her inane argument though, is that the people around the reactors that are currently burning/damaged, could be 'ok' because of this.

Pretty hard case to make for a variety of isotopes that are being released in a completely uncontrolled manner, and individuals are getting completely unknown levels of exposure from the air, from the dust, from their water and food, etc.

[Avant Guardian]

3. This is what the RW ideology has devolved into

Absolute complete denial of everything rational

[cayanne]

4. I posted this in another thread

I sit in a mine and breath Radon gas every year

http://www.jpands.org/vol9no1/chen.pdf


I have gone to the Free Enterprise Radon Health Mine in Boulder and stayed for 4-6 hrs a day, 10 days at a time, for 1-2 times a year, for the past 6 years.

I should have been on dialysis 3 years ago and I'm still avoiding it with Glomerulosclerosis. My husband goes for preventive purposes and it has helped him with bronchitis. The mine has been a blessing to me and I have met people from all over the world there, even from Tokyo. Many people are in their 20 + year of going there.

The level of gas is monitored and kept at a low dosage and some people even bring their pets for radon therapy.

I highly recommend the radon therapy if you can afford to go.

http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20091123/MT_HE... .

http://www.utne.com/1999-09-01/radioactive-remedy.aspx

http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2001/07/16/010716fa_fa...

[OKIsItJustMe]

5. I've added the video to the videos page

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=385&topic_id=565613&mesg_id=565613

[Kennah]

6. Had Ann Coulter been in Mr. Hand's class, he never woulda asked her if she was on dope.

He'd have known it.

[damntexdem]

7. If she thinks it's good for her, is she volunteering to go work on the reactors?

Sure, she has no background. But I'm sure that she can be taught to do a few simple tasks so as to replace more-qualified personnel who recognize that radiation is bad for them.