“ A sudden decline in agricultural
production could trigger
massive famine.
VS
VITALSIGNS
VITAL SIGNS
VOLUME 19 ISSUE 1 2007
NEWSLETTER FOR THE INTERNATIONAL PHYSICIANS
FOR THE PREVENTION OF NUCLEAR WAR (IPPNW)
REGIONAL NUCLEAR WARCOULD MEAN GLOBAL“NUCLEAR FAMINE”
VO
L. 1
9 IS
SU
E 1
20
07
IPPNW.ORG
Aregional nuclear war
involving the numbers of
weapons possessed by
India and Pakistan would trigger
a global climate disaster and
could lead to global famine
according to findings presented
at a joint medical conference on
nuclear war organized by
IPPNW, its UK affiliate Medact,
and the Catastrophes and
Conflict Forum of the Royal
Society of Medicine. Emergency
medical specialist Ira Helfand
presented “An Assessment of
the Extent of Projected Global
Famine Resulting from Limited,
Regional Nuclear War” at the
conference – Nuclear Weapons:
The Final Pandemic —
Preventing Proliferation and
Achieving Abolition, in London
on October 5, 2007.
Dr. Helfand cited research
by conference speakers
Alan Robock of Rutgers
University and Owen B. Toon of
the University of Colorado,
demonstrating that debris eject-
ed into the stratosphere from
about 100 nuclear explosions
and subsequent fires would
cause sudden global cooling and
decreased precipitation for up to
10 years, resulting in shorter
growing seasons and significant-
ly lower grain production.
Dr. Helfand warned that “a
total global death toll in
the range of one billion
from starvation alone,” along
with “major epidemics of infec-
tious diseases” were foresee-
able outcomes of the climate
effects of nuclear explosions on
this scale. He explained that
there are already 800 million
people in the world whose daily
caloric intake falls below mini-
mum requirements. “A small
decline in available food would
put this entire group at risk. A
sudden decline in agricultural
production could trigger massive
famine.”
The two-day conference
also examined the current
state of understanding
about the health effects of expo-
sure to low doses of ionizing
radiation; the impact of uranium
mining on the health of indige-
nous mining communities in
India, Australia, and elsewhere
(see page 6); the dangers posed
by the use of highly enriched
uranium in reactors that produce
medical isotopes; and the
humanitarian consequences of a
possible US military attack
against Iran.
Former Co-President Victor
Sidel summarized a new
and comprehensive IPPNW
monograph, “Medicine and
Nuclear War,” an updated and
expanded version of a paper
originally published in the
Journal of the American MedicalAssociation in 1998.
ONLINE: PHOTOS AND
REPORTS
A full report and presentations
from The Final Pandemic conference:
IPPNW.ORG
”
VITAL SIGNS
VOLUME 19 ISSUE 1 2007- 2 -
be allowed to recur. The immense
human suffering and the environ-
mental degradation as a conse-
quence of these weapons of mass
destruction should be a sad
reminder that…[all of us must]
resist war and embrace peace.”
On April 7, IPPNW medical students
with the Nuclear Weapons
Inheritance Project joined with
Iranian students to organize a Target
X installation in Tehran. Medical stu-
dent exchanges between Iran and
IPPNW’s Swedish affiliate, SLMK,
are planned for the future.
CONDEMNING THE US-INDIA
NUCLEAR ENERGY AGREEMENT
INDIA AND UNITED STATES
Opposition to the nuclear energy
agreement between the US and
India may prevent it from ever going
into effect. Prime Minister Singh told
the US in October that political
obstacles in his country had frozen
the agreement, which had also
raised global proliferation concerns.
Indian Doctors for Peace and
Development (IDPD) and Physicians
for Social Responsibility-USA (PSR)
DOCTOR-TO-DOCTOR
DIPLOMACY: IPPNW IN IRAN
IRAN
Co-President Ime John continued
IPPNW’s outreach to Iranian physi-
cians with a one-week visit to
Tehran and Isfahan in June. Dr.
John met with members of the
Society of Chemical Weapons
Victims Support (SCWVS), includ-
ing the Society’s Head of
International Relations, Dr.
Shahriar Khateri. In addition to dis-
cussing IPPNW’s programs and
campaigns with Iranian physicians
and medical students, Dr. John met
with municipal officials in both
cities, delivering a letter from
Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba of
Hiroshima inviting Iranian partici-
pation in Mayors For Peace.
Recalling the devastation of
nuclear war as experienced by the
cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki,
Dr. John told an audience at the
Tehran Municipality Office that “the
effects of the atomic bombs on
those cities, like the horror of
chemical weapons used against
the people of Iran during the Iran-
Iraqi war in the 1980s should never
IPPNW WORLD NOTES GLOBAL COMMUNITY OF PEACEMAKERS
MAKING A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE
“ I hope that IPPNW’sInternational Campaign to Abolish NuclearWeapons (ICAN) and the campaign for the conclusion of a nuclearweapons convention will yield positive results...
The MongolianGovernment supportsIPPNW’s noble goals and activities. ”H.E. Nambar Enkhbayar,
President, Mongolia
PHOTO: J.LORETZ PHOTO: K.LUNDIUS
1 21
IPPNW.ORG- 3 -
(WORLD NOTES continued on page 4)
IPPNW RAISES NUCLEAR
AWARENESS IN PYONGYANG
DEM. PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF
KOREA
SLMK brought IPPNW’s nuclear
abolition message to another critical
region in June, when it organized a
return delegation of doctors and
medical students to the Democratic
People’s Republic of Korea.
Swedish physician Martin Tondel led
a group comprising medical students
Wenjing Tao, Johannes Norberg,
and Thomas Silfverberg, who
brought a collection of IPPNW publi-
cations along with medical texts to
the Korean Anti-Nuke Peace
Physicians (KANPP), the federa-
tion’s North Korean affiliate. At
Ansan General Clinic —one of sev-
eral hospitals visited during the trip
— the delegation had an opportunity
to learn about basic health services
in DPRK, after which they met with
the Dean of the Pyongyang
University of Medicine and a group
of nine medical students. Dr Tondel
presented a new paper on the health
consequences of the Chernobyl dis-
aster, which was followed by an
open discussion of nuclear issues.
“We were able to speak more open-
released a joint statement on August
17 condemning the deal, and calling
on the Nuclear Suppliers Group
(NSG) to block its implementation.
The US and Indian affiliates said the
deal undermines the Non-
Proliferation Treaty (NPT) by allow-
ing India to keep a third of its reac-
tors under military control without
international inspection, including
two “fast-breeder” reactors that
could produce fuel for weapons.
They called instead for investments
in renewable sources of energy that
will enhance India’s long-term ener-
gy security.
IPPNW, which has been working to
oppose the agreement since it was
first announced early in 2006, deliv-
ered copies of the statement to the
foreign ministries of each NSG mem-
ber country, and will keep up the
pressure to ensure that this danger-
ous deal is rejected.
1
3
4
2
NORTH ASIA REGIONAL MEETING
FRONT ROW: DR. KATSUKO KATAOKA, IPPNW
REGIONAL VP, H.E.NAMBAR ENKHBAYAR, PRESI-
DENT OF MONGOLIA, AND DR. GUNNAR WEST-
BERG, IPPNW CO-PRESIDENT. BACK ROW: DR. N.
TUVSHINBAT, PRESIDENT OF MPPNW, J. ENKH-
SAIKHAN, DIRECTOR OF BLUE BANNER, DR.
SHIZUTERU USUI, PRESIDENT OF JPPNW.
FINAL PANDEMIC CONFERENCE
DR. SHAHRIAR KHATERI, PRESIDENT, SOCIETY OF
CHEMICAL WEAPONS VICTIMS SUPPORT, TEHRAN
SPEAKING WITH DR. MARTIN TONDEL OF SWEDEN
DURING A BREAK AT THE LONDON CONFERENCE.
IPPNW CO-PRESIDENT, DR. IME JOHN, WITH MEM-
BERS OF THE SOCIETY OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS
VICTIMS SUPPORT WHILE IN IRAN. IME JOHN ALSO
INVITED MUNICIPAL OFFICIALS TO JOIN MAYORS
FOR PEACE.
IN JUNE, A DELEGATION OF SWEDISH MEDICAL STU-
DENTS VISITED THE DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE’S
REPUBLIC OF KOREA. THE GOALS OF THE GROUP
WERE TO STRENGTHEN THE RELATIONSHIP WITH
THE KOREAN ANTI-NUKE PEACE PHYSICIANS, RAISE
AWARENESS ON NUCLEAR WEAPON ISSUES AMONG
MEDICAL STUDENTS AND DOCTORS, AND TO
INCREASE THEIR KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE HEALTH
CARE SITUATION IN THE DPRK.
PHOTO: I.JOHN
ly than we had expected,” Dr. Tondel
said, “both with medical students
and doctors and health person-
nel…and we have a good idea about
the next steps in strengthening this
cooperation.”
PHOTO: W.TAO
Join the monthly sustainer program, Partners in Peace,
and help ensure the continuity of our global campaigns.
Contact Daniel Karp: [email protected], 617.868.5050 x204
ONLINE: REPORTS
A full statement on the
US/INDIA nuclear energy
agreement available:
ippnw.org/News/Statements.html
3 4
AFFILIATES IN ACTION
GLOBAL LAUNCH OF ICAN AT NPT CONFERENCE IN
VIENNA, AUSTRIA. LEFT TO RIGHT, DR. RON MCCOY,
IPPNW, FELICITY HILL, ICAN, CARLOS VARGAS,
COSTA RICAN MISSION, AND MAYOR TADATOSHI
AKIBA, MAYORS FOR PEACE.
MEDICAL STUDENTS TAMARA SHASHIKADZE FROM
GEORGIA AND MICHAEL GNILO FROM THE PHILIP-
PINES AT THE FASLANE BLOCKADE IN SCOTLAND.
OVERRIDING TRIDENT BIKE TOUR: SEPTEMBER 28TH-
30TH, A GROUP OF 30 MEDICAL STUDENTS, DOCTORS
AND POLITICAL ACTIVISTS BIKED FROM DOVER TO THE
LONDON CONFERENCE. ENROUTE THE GROUP
INFORMED THE PUBLIC ABOUT THE DANGERS OF
NUCLEAR WEAPONS, AND HELD TARGET X INSTALLA-
TIONS AND MEETINGS WITH MAYORS AND LOCAL PRESS.
ONLINE: IPPNW-STUDENTS.ORG/OTT
1
3 / 4
1
43
2
MEDICAL PEACE WORK: DR. KLAS MELF OF NOR-
WAY LEADING A VIDEO CONFERENCE WITH THE
CANADIAN PEACE-THROUGH-HEALTH GROUP AT
MCMASTER UNIVERSITY ON THE EMERGING FIELD
OF EXPERTISE IN HEALTH WORK, VIOLENCE PRE-
VENTION AND PEACE.
ONLINE: UIT.NO/SIH/8989
PH
OT
O:
S.H
ES
SM
AN
PH
OT
O:
J.L
OR
ET
Z
PH
OT
O:
V.D
YA
KO
VA
- 4 -VITAL SIGNS
VOLUME 19 ISSUE 1 2007
5
PH
OT
O:
K.
SC
HA
RF
FS
CH
ER
2
5
THE 6TH AFRICAN REGIONAL CONFERENCE, HEAL-
ING THE WOUNDS OF WAR IN AFRICA:THE ROLE
OF HEALTH PROFESSIONALS WAS HELD IN NAIRO-
BI IN SEPTEMBER. IT BROUGHT TOGETHER HEALTH
PROFESSIONALS INCLUDING MEDICAL STUDENTS
TO PRESENT AND SHARE EXPERIENCES ON THE
IMPACT OF WAR ON HEALTH, WITH A FOCUS ON
PRESCRIBING PREVENTIVE STRATEGIES FOR THE
AFRICAN CONTINENT, AND CARE AND REHABILITA-
TION OF THE VICTIMS. IT WAS ORGANIZED BY
IPPNW’S AFRICAN REGIONAL OFFICE IN KENYA.
6
ONLINE: ADDITIONAL PHOTOS AND REPORTS
IPPNW.ORG, ICANW.ORG AND IPPNW-STUDENTS.ORG
PH
OT
O:
IPP
NW
DR. ANDREW PINTO, PGS CANADA, JOINED DR.
EMPERATRIZ CRESPIN IN EL SALVADOR IN JUNE TO
CONDUCT RESEARCH ON GUN VIOLENCE, AND PAR-
TICIPATE IN A RANGE OF EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES.
THEY ARE PICTURED AT A SOCCER MATCH FOR
PEACE CO-ORGANIZED BY IANSA/IPPNW PUBLIC
HEALTH NETWORK LATIN AMERICA AND TWO LOCAL
RADIO STATIONS (VOX FM AND RADIO “QUE BUENA”).
IPPNW.ORG- 5 -
IPPNW WORLD NOTES (continued from page 3)
VS
Member (only five from the world) of
the International Network of Scientists
and Engineers for Global
Responsibility (INES).
Co-President Ime John and
Emmanuel Eduru of IPPNW-Nigeria
participated in a two-day regional con-
ference in Abuja, Nigeria on the ratifi-
cation of the Economic Community of
West African States (ECOWAS)
Convention on Small Arms and Light
Weapons….
IPPNW-Zambia’s Dr. Robert Mtonga
was interviewed on the BBC World
Service on the advantages of the Arms
Trade Treaty—his “guns are bad for
health” message covered the econom-
ic cost of gun injuries and the impact of
small arms violence against women.
NEW AIMING FOR PREVENTION
STUDY CALLS FOR ONGOING
INJURY SURVEILLANCE
AFRICA
IPPNW’s African affiliates, under the
direction of Diego Zavala of the Ponce
School of Medicine in Puerto Rico,
have completed a pilot study funded in
large part by the Small Arms Survey,
Geneva, to determine the causes of
injuries in the Democratic Republic of
Congo (DRC), Kenya, Nigeria,
Uganda and Zambia, and to provide
evidence-based recommendations to
local government health authorities in
order to encourage the development
of armed violence prevention strate-
gies. The 5-country study—the cen-
terpiece of the African Aiming for
Prevention program in 2007—was
undertaken to
support the
need for an
ongoing injury
su rve i l l ance
system that can
help public
health practi-
tioners make
policy recom-
m e n d a t i o n s
about preven-
tion of injuries
from small
arms and light
weapons based on empirical data.
During six months of data collection,
4,366 injury cases were recorded in all
five countries. Nigeria and DRC stood
out as two countries with the greatest
proportion of small arms injuries
(approximately 40% of interpersonal
violence injuries).
OTHER AFP NEWS
The Journal of Public Health Policyhas published an important new series
of articles in a special section on small
arms violence in Africa written by
IPPNW researchers, available:
palgrave-journals.com/jphp/journal/v28/n4/
Dr. Balkrishna Kurvey of IIPDEP in
India was elected an Executive
THE STUDENT CHAPTER OF PSR NEPAL HEADED BY
CHUDAMANI GIRI, AND ADVISED BY DR. MAHESH
MASKEY, ORGANIZED A TWO DAY SOUTH ASIA STU-
DENTS’ MEETING IN AUGUST THAT BROUGHT
TOGETHER STUDENTS FROM MEDICAL AND PUBLIC
HEALTH SCHOOLS FROM NEPAL, INDIA,
BANGLADESH, AND A FEW FROM GERMANY TO DIS-
CUSS HOW TO ADDRESS THE CRISIS OF SMALL
ARMS VIOLENCE.
NEPAL “ONE BULLET STORY” ONLINE:
IPPNW.ORG/PROGRAMS/AFP
PH
OT
O:
A.G
UA
RD
AD
O
6 7
7
8
8
PH
OT
O:
IPP
NW
PH
OT
O:
C.G
IRI
VS
NEW STUDY DOCUMENTS HEALTH PROBLEMS AROUND INDIA’S URANIUM MINES
IDPD researchers, including
Satyajit Kumar Singh and
Shakeel Ur Rahman, collected
health information from 2,118
households in five villages around
the mines, tailings ponds, and an
ore processing plant operated by
Uranium Corporation of India, Ltd
(UCIL). They compared this data
with similar information gathered
from villages some 30-35 kilome-
ters away from mining activities.
IDPD found significant increases
in congenital deformities and
childhood deaths due to congenital
deformities; increased sterility; and
elevated numbers of deaths due to
cancer. Reduced life expectancy
among people living near the mines
was also documented.
While acknowledging that fur-
ther study is needed to distin-
guish radiation effects from the
health problems related to mining in
general, IDPD blamed UCIL for
unsafe operations and for failing to
monitor the health of its workers or
to provide meaningful treatment
and compensation. Drs. Singh and
Rahman referred to a December
2006 incident, when a burst pipe
spilled thousands of liters of radioac-
tive waste into a creek for more than
nine hours before UCIL acted, as
typical of the company’s inadequate
safety standards.
VITAL SIGNS
VOLUME 19 ISSUE 1 2007 - 6 -
The IDPD study was funded by a
grant from the US-based
Ploughshares Fund, and was under-
taken cooperatively with the
Jharkhandis Organisation Against
Radiation (JOAR). An executive
summary is available: ippnw.org.
PHOTO ABOVE: YOUNG CHILDREN GATHERING AVAILABLE WATER FOR COOKING AND DRINKING.
BELOW: INDIAN PHYSICIANS AND RESEARCHERS WITH A HOUSEHOLD THAT LIVES IN CLOSE
PROXIMITY TO THE JADUGODA URANIUM MINES.
INDIAN DOCTORS FOR PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT (IDPD) HAS COMPLETED A YEAR-
LONG SURVEY OF HEALTH CONDITIONS AMONG INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES AROUND
THE JADUGODA URANIUM MINES.
Tel: 617.868.5050
Fax: 617.868.2560
Email: [email protected]
Web: IPPNW.ORG
BO
AR
D O
FD
IRE
CT
OR
S200
6 –
2008
PRESIDENTS
IME JOHN, MD MPH - NIGERIA
GUNNAR WESTBERG, MD - SWEDEN
REGIONAL VICE PRESIDENTS
WALTER ODHIAMBO, MD - KENYA
BJØRN HILT, MD - NORWAY
ANTONIO JARQUIN, MD - NICARAGUA
AHMED GENEID, MD - EGYPT
IRA HELFAND, MD - USA
KATSUKO KATAOKA, MD, PHD - JAPAN
VLADIMIR GARKAVENKO, MD - RUSSIA
KAMRUL KHAN, MD - BANGLADESH
DANIELE VILIUNAS, MD - AUSTRALIA
AT-LARGE MEMBERS
CAECILIE BOCK BUHMANN, MD - DENMARK
MARTINA GROSCH, MD - SWEDEN
ANDREW S. KANTER, MD, MPH - USA
ALEX ROSEN, MD - GERMANY
TILMAN RUFF, MB BS, FRACP - AUSTRALIA
MASAO TOMONAGA, MD - JAPAN
INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL
STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES
KHAGENDRA BIKRAM DAHAL - NEPAL
RUTH MITCHELL - AUSTRALIA
SPEAKER OF THE INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL
PETER WILK, MD - USA
DEPUTY SPEAKER
HERMAN SPAANJARD, MD - NETHERLANDS
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
MICHAEL CHRIST - USA
CHAIR, 18TH WORLD CONGRESS
L.S. CHAWLA, MD - INDIA
SECRETARY 18TH WORLD CONGRESS
ARUN MITRA, MD - INDIA
IPPNW CENTRAL OFFICE727 MASSACHUSETTS AVE
CAMBRIDGE, MA 02139 USA
IPPNW.ORG
INTERNATIONAL PHYSICIANS
FOR THE PREVENTION OF
NUCLEAR WAR (IPPNW)
IPPNW is a non - partisan federation of nation-
al medical organizations in 60 countries dedicat-
ed to safeguarding health by working to ban
nuclear weapons and to address the impact of
militarism and war on human health.
IPPNW is a non - profit organization registered
under Section 501(c)(3) of the United States
Internal Revenue Code.
All gifts to IPPNW are tax deductible to the
fullest extent allowed by law.
� � � � � � � � � �
VITAL SIGNS IS PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER.
EDITOR AND DESIGNER: AKI MORIZONO
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: MARIA VALENTI AND JOHN LORETZ
� � � � � � � � � �
Also, Ploughshares Fund’s
generous support made it pos-
sible for IDPD to conduct a
public health project on urani-
um mining in India.
IPPNW Norway’s support
enabled the Aiming for
Prevention Campaign to com-
plete the six month injury study at
emergency rooms in five African
countries. A report was present-
ed to the primary study funder,
Geneva-based Small Arms
Survey (SAS) and will inform the
next SAS annual report.
THANK YOU
ONLINE:ICANW.ORG
The ICAN website contains new updates on global activities and
resources for abolition activists to participate in a number of immediate
ways to the global effort to achieve a future no longer threatened by the
horror of nuclear war.
ICANW.ORG
ONLINE: ACTIVISTS’TOOLKIT AND RESOURCE
NEWS, VIDEOS, MAPS, AND OPINION POLLS ON THE
ELIMINATION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS
IPPNW GERMANY
IPPNW NEW ZEALAND
JPPNW
MEDACT
NORWAY (NLA)
PGS CANADA
PSR FINLAND
PSR USA
SLMK
IPPNW would like to thank the fol-
lowing affiliates for their leader-
ship in championing the “Final
Pandemic” conference at the
Royal Society of Medicine:
- 7 -
Non-Profit
U.S. Postage
PAID
Burlington, MA
Permit No. 145
INTERNATIONALPHYSICIANS FOR
THE PREVENTION OF NUCLEAR WAR
727 MASSACHUSETTS AVE
CAMBRIDGE, MA02139USA
IPPNW 18TH WORLD CONGRESS NEW DELHI, INDIA
MARCH 7 – 8, 2008
IPPNW MEDICAL
STUDENT CONGRESS
IPPNW-STUDENTS.ORG
AND
DEVELOPMENT
PEACE, HEALTH
MARCH 9 – 11, 2008
MAIN CONGRESS
IPPNW2008.ORG
Plenary sessions and working
groups on nuclear abolition,
issues of global security and
the public health approach to
ending small arms violence.
Top Related