If You Love This Planet, Dr. Helen Caldicott

Dr. Wladimir Wertelecki on birth defects caused by Chernobyl and how nuclear power devastates human health

 

Dr. Wertelecki

Wertelecki

[This week’s guest is Wladimir Wertelecki, the founder and chairman of the Department of Medical Genetics and Birth Defects Center of the University of South Alabama, in the U.S. Prior to his training in Medical Genetics at Harvard University Medical School, Dr. Wertelecki trained in Pediatrics at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, Washington University. Later, he served as Senior Surgeon, U.S. Public Health Commission Corps at the Epidemiology Branch of the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Wertelecki is a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatrics and member of the Academy of Pediatrics, and since 1994, he has served as Secretary-Treasurer of the World Alliance for the Prevention of Birth Defects. He has extensively studied the effects of the radiation released by the Chernobyl meltdown on public health, particularly in children, and discusses his findings with Dr. Caldicott. As background, read the July 2012 article Geneticist charts effects of nuclear disasters, and Dr. Wertelecki’s study Malformations in a Chornobyl-Impacted Region. Also listen to Dr. Caldicott’s interview with Janette Sherman, M.D. on the studies indicating nearly one million people have died as a result of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

2 Responses to “Dr. Wladimir Wertelecki on birth defects caused by Chernobyl and how nuclear power devastates human health”

  1. Christina Macpherson Says:

    This extraordinarily informative interview should not be missed. Clearly explaining the differences between teratogenic (affecting the embryo or foetus) and genetic abnormailities - (originating from a gene, inherited) Dr Wertelecki remedies the great gap in information on the effects of Chernobyl.

    I could not help wondering, today, as I read about the high level of rural Chinese babies with birth defects - wondering about what China does with its radioactive wastes. The press item from Beijing News attributed this to the age of mothers, alcohol etc.

    But, to give them credit - the article also mentions radioactivity as a cause. http://www.beijingnews.net/index.php?sid/209107845/scat/55582c89cb296d4c/ht/900000-Chinese-born-with-birth-defects-every-year

  2. David Painter Says:

    Brilliant exposition of the genetic and celular processes affected by radiation. Well done! Astonishing. I tried to ctc Dr Wetelecki to thank him but the email accociated with the WAO link failed. Please pass on if possible:

    Dear Dr Wertelecki

    Thank you so much for your talk with Dr Helen Caldicott! I was 13 years old when Chernobyl occurred and naively thought that grown ups were kind and clever people who would work together to ensure that everything was carefully studied and learned and taken care of… Recently I started to do some research and I was absolutely astounded to find the lack of scientific literature on this topic. Thank you not just for your talk with Helen, but for taking responsibility when so many others have turned their backs on these terrible events and the future of this planet.

    Please continue to do what you can to engage with the community of people who love this planet so we can learn from your wonderful work and your clear intelligent explanatory powers!

    In great admiration and gratitude,

    David Painter