Neurologist agrees to a compromise settlement

The Trier Regional Court has closed the case against Dr. Peter Binz, however, the German neurologist and environmental physician must pay € 10,000 to the Treasury. The treasurer of the Trier Medical Association raised suspicions of accounting fraud which have not been confirmed. At a court hearing on April 6th, it was discovered that there was no intent or gross negligence by Dr. Binz. The payment of 10 000 € is to be understood as a proportional fee, and not as an admission of guilt. The adoption of the proposed settlement by the court, for the 70-year-old neurologist could not last another year-long of court proceedings. Dr. Binz agreed to a trial which has taken many years and professional time away from his patients, when the court initially said it would take about 60 court days to complete.

War against courageous doctors

The investigation of the Trier German doctor took six years. Dr. Binz, who always protested his innocence, gave accounting experts and all those who accused him, his documents of his expenses so the experts could double check the transactions. For him, the accusation of K. Trier, of cheating in 2800 cases, was not only pointless, but he saw it rather as a continuation of many years of persistent war against him. The KV Trier and the Medical Council were at war with Dr. Binz mainly because of his tireless and fearless commitment to workers who had been affected by chemicals in their workplace. Again and again the Medical Association and KV started attacks, which caused his patients’ suffering to increase. Dr. Binz was not swayed and stood steadfast for his patients, who were often too ill to defend themselves. About 600 of his patients were interrogated, as the opposition tried to gather evidence against the doctor.

Lawyer convinced of the innocence of his client

Binz’s lawyer, Hülsmann, was convinced that Binz would win the battle and the court would discharge his case. Dr. Binz’s lawyer said closing the case was the best solution because the process would have dragged on for many more years and Dr. Binz’s practice would have further suffered because the process would have taken place during the same time as his office hours. The age of Dr. Binz and his ailing health also played a role in the ultimate decision. Under no circumstances, however, is this case conclusion to be seen as an admission of guilt, which was also confirmed by the court. The prosecution had already argued in June 2010 on the matter. A settlement had not been prepared because Dr. Binz was of the assumption that this would be seen as an admission of guilt on his part.

Proceedings are terminated, final defeat for the KV

The 234-page indictment against Dr. Binz for billing fraud is now closed. The doctor who had to initially pay 184 000 €, in advance already has received 100 000 € back from the KV Trier. In a further decision, Dr. Binz would have to pay € 67,000, however, that was also removed.

For the KV Trier the decision is to be regarded as final in its long bitter struggle against their unpleasant doctor. Dr. .Binz’s case showed no gross evidence, intentional or gross negligence in billing for services, as similar accusations have also been attempted to destroy other professional colleagues.

A doctor with backbone

The war of nerves. Dr. Binz and his wife in the past decades and especially during the last six years, have never given up. They both showed great human strength during this false persecution, and instead of only focusing on themselves, they were primarily concerned about the disadvantaged patients whose medical records were seized and who were subjected to stressful interrogations.

During the interrogation of the CSN President as part of the investigations against Dr. Binz, a commissioner commented: “Oh no, Binz is under investigation for accounting fraud? How can this be calculated against this doctor? I visited Dr. Binz during a lawsuit years ago. I was then just curious about what kind of a man has no fear when big companies flex their muscles. Dr. Binz is an honest man, and I’m glad to have met him. We need more doctors like him. Then things would be different. If he has deceived someone, I will eat a broom. ”

The “broom” must not be eaten and those who have scientific evidence relating to health problems caused by toxic substances in the workplace must continue to practice and help those workers affected. In recent years that exactly confirms what this doctor in Trier has accomplished for decades with a great commitment.

Author: Silvia K. Müller, CSN – Chemical Sensitivity Network, 18 May 2011

Translation: Christi Howarth for CSN

Related articles:

• Charge against the well known German Neurologist Dr. Binz
• Mounting actions against environmental medicine practitioners
• European Solidarity Letter to Texas Senate
• Milestone Victory: Texas State Medical Board’s Attack on Leading Integrative Doctor Beaten Back

Significant reduction in asthma-related admissions as well as a reduction in admissions related to acute coronary syndrome

Workplace smoking bans are gaining ground globally, and one study has shown that they may have significant health effects. The study, conducted by researchers in Dublin, found that emergency room admissions due to respiratory illness dropped significantly in Ireland after the implementation of a workplace smoking ban, compared to admissions that took place before the ban went into effect.

The study will be presented at the ATS 2011 International Conference in Denver.

The nationwide workplace smoking ban was introduced in Ireland in March 2004. Although previous studies have shown workplace smoking bans lead to reduced systemic inflammation and improved respiratory health, as well as reduced emergency admissions due to acute coronary syndromes, Imran Sulaiman, MD, pulmonology resident at Galway University Hospitals, Galway, Ireland, who led the study, said there was little data concerning the effect of such bans on respiratory illness in an adult, working-age population.

“Comparing admissions prior to and after the smoking ban in Ireland we saw a significant reduction in emergency admissions due to cardiopulmonary disease with a trend towards reduced respiratory illness admissions,” said Dr. Sulaiman.

“The most pronounced reduction in admissions was in the 20- to 29-year-old age group,” added Dr. Sulaiman, who completed the study while a resident at Adelaide and Meath Hospital in Dublin.

The researchers also noted a significant reduction in asthma-related admissions as well as a reduction in admissions related to acute coronary syndrome.

To conduct their study, the researchers evaluated data from the Hospital Inpatient Enquiry (HIPE), a computer-based database system designed to collect demographic, clinical and administrative data on discharges and deaths from hospitals nationwide. Admissions data relating to emergency pulmonary, cardiac and cerebrovascular hospital admissions for the two years preceding, and the two years succeeding the implementation of the smoking ban were collected, and population, weather, pollution and influenza data for the same time periods were obtained from the official sources.

The researchers used the data to evaluate any change in emergency admissions due to all pulmonary disease and combined cardio-pulmonary illness between the two periods. In addition, they examined admissions due to specific pulmonary diagnoses, acute coronary syndrome and acute cerebrovascular syndrome. The analysis was divided into age and gender groups, and restricted to the working-age population (age 20-70 years).

There was a significant reduction in emergency hospital admissions due to cardio-pulmonary disease in the two years following the smoking ban, and a trend towards reduced pulmonary admissions. The most pronounced decrease in pulmonary admissions was observed in the 20- to 29-year-old age group. A significant decrease also was seen in emergency asthma admissions, and there was a trend towards fewer admissions with acute coronary syndrome, especially among men aged 50 to 59 years and 0 to 69 years. No difference was observed in cerebrovascular disease.

“The reductions in these admissions may result from reduced exposure of vulnerable individuals to environmental tobacco smoke,” Dr. Sulaiman said. “These results further emphasize the benefit of reducing secondhand smoke exposure.

“We already know the disastrous effects smoking has on our health,” he continued.”This study further proves that the implementation of a workplace smoking ban improves general health and also reduces hospital burden by respiratory illness, one of the most common illnesses to present to the emergency services.”

Further research should be done to confirm this study’s findings, and to compile data from other countries that have implemented workplace smoking bans, he said.

Literature: American Thoracic Society, Smoking ban reduces emergency room admissions, Denver, May 17, 2011

• “The Impact Of A Workplace Smoking Ban On Nationwide Admissions Due To Acute Pulmonary Disease” (Session C15, Tuesday, May 17, 8:15-10:45 a.m.., Centennial Ballroom E (Third Level), Hyatt Regency Denver; Abstract 20962)

Related Articles:

• Exposure to secondhand smoke in the womb has lifelong impact
• Secondhand smoke exposure and depressive symptoms
• Secondhand smoking results in liver diseases, UCLA study finds

Were pesticides to blame for the death of Knut, the polar bear?

Many thousands of people mourn the sudden death of Knut, the polar bear. He was the darling at a German zoo. Why did Knut die? Initial autopsy results showed that Knut, the polar bear, suffered from a brain disease. A former animal keeper at a zoo reported the death of gorilla babies dying from pesticide use. The keeper herself fell ill and nearly died. Were pesticides the cause of death of the polar bear, Knut? Recent scientific research has shown that pesticides cause different brain diseases. What caused Knut’s brain disease will require further investigation. It is possible, because pesticides are used regularly in zoos to keep the zoo animals free of vermin.

All mourn the loss of Knut, the polar bear

In the media, on Twitter and Facebook, the death of Knut, the polar bear , remains the main topic for days now. The sweet polar bear was raised by a nurse with a bottle in the German zoo after his mother abandoned him. The little polar bear in no time, won the hearts of all the visitors. Now the sadness is great, and the cause of Knut’s brain disease is still under investigation. Zoo visitors witnessed the polar bear turning itself around several times and falling into the pond. Over 500 people observed the death of this polar bear and reported that he had an epileptic-like seizure before he sank into the water in his polar bear enclosure. Knut’s keeper also died suddenly at the age of 44 from a heart attack in 2008.

Dream job, but health went downhill

The young woman worked in one of the biggest zoos in Germany. She loved her job as a veterinary nurse above everything. She was responsible for the gorillas. With the bottle, she helped gorilla babies grow when needed. Most of all, she never wanted to go home after work because she loved her job so much. During her training, her health was deteriorating. The reason for her health decline was first discovered years later. Several radiological studies including SPECT, CT, and MRT scans of her brain showed severe brain damage and atrophy. Pesticides were the reason the keeper’s health went downhill.

Gorilla babies dead due to the use of pesticides

During training, the young keeper had to deal with pesticides during the spraying of the gorilla’s sleeping quarters. The pesticide nerve agents, pyrethroids and organophosphates were used. The young woman had to spray the sleeping caves. As she kneeled in front of the caves, she couldn’t avoid breathing in the poison. “The gorilla babies died, and now I know it was because they were exposed to the pesticides,” she told me several years ago when we met at a special clinic. Her immune and nervous system were severely damaged, and she had problems with her muscles and her heart was weakening. Her hair was falling out and she had the typical nerve agent seizures. She stated, “I initiated a workers’ compensation lawsuit and won.” There was no question that the health of the animal keeper was destroyed by pesticides.

Knut died from pesticide exposure?

We do not know exactly which brain disease Knut, the public’s favorite animal in the Berlin Zoo, suffered from, but further studies will hopefully determine the nature and cause of his brain disease. Pesticides may well be on the short list, because they are regularly used in zoos to keep the zoo animals free of fleas and other parasites. Certain herbicides, which are often used on pavements and along roadsides in zoos in order to be kept free of weeds, are quite capable of causing life-threatening seizures.

Author: Silvia K. Müller, CSN – Chemical Sensitivity Network, March 21, 2011

Translation: Thanks to Christi Howarth.

Related articles:

• Groups seeking Ban on Organophosphate Pesticide got to Federal Court
• Wide range of currently used and globally marketed pesticides contained Dioxin impurities
• Pesticide Exposure linked to sucidial Thoughts
• Common Household Pesticides linked to Childhood Cancer Cases in Washington Area

New articles examine safety

“We need to be concerned that some of these billion people may eventually develop cancer as a result of the radiation exposure”

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has begun to use whole-body imaging scanners as a primary screening measure on travelers passing through airport security checkpoints. One type of scanner employs millimeter wave technology, which delivers no ionizing radiation. However, the second type of scanner currently deployed at airports uses backscatter X-rays that expose the individual being screened to very low levels of ionizing radiation. In the April issue of Radiology, two articles address the question of what potential long-term public health threats, if any, these backscatter X-ray systems pose.

In the first article, David J. Brenner, Ph.D., D.Sc., director of the Center for Radiological Research at Columbia University Medical Center in New York, N.Y., proposes that from a public health policy perspective, given that up to one billion such scans per year are now possible in the U.S, we should have concerns about the long-term consequences of an extremely large number of people being exposed to a potential radiation-induced cancer risk, no matter how slight.

“The risks for any individual going through the X-ray backscatter scanners are exceedingly small,” Dr. Brenner said. “However, if all air travelers are going to be screened this way, then we need to be concerned that some of these billion people may eventually develop cancer as a result of the radiation exposure from the X-ray scanners.”

In the second article, David A. Schauer, Sc.D., C.H.P., executive director of the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP), argues that the summation of negligible average risks over large populations or time periods into a single value produces a distorted image of risk that is out of perspective with risks accepted every day, both voluntarily and involuntarily.

“There is no scientific basis to support the notion that a small risk to an individual changes in any way for that individual as others around him are also exposed to the same source of radiation,” he said. “Critics of security screening acknowledge that doses from backscatter X-ray systems are very low and safe for an individual.”

Dr. Schauer advocates strict regulatory control of the backscatter scanners in order to ensure that their use is consistent with the goals and objectives of radiation protection, which include justification (benefits exceed cost or harm), optimization (exposures are kept as low as reasonably achievable) and limitation (individual doses are limited).

“Any decision that alters the radiation exposure situation should do more good than harm,” Dr. Schauer said. “In other words, people should only be exposed to ionizing radiation for security screening purposes when a threat exists that can be detected and for which appropriate actions can be taken. In addition, exposures must be justified and optimized.”

Both Dr. Brenner and Dr. Schauer agree that the scanners using millimeter wave technology should be considered as a first option, since they are similar in cost and functionality to the backscatter machines, but do not expose the passenger to ionizing radiation. However, they also say that the average traveler should not be overly concerned about being screened with the backscatter scanners.

“As someone who travels just occasionally, I would have no hesitation in going through the X-ray backscatter scanner,” Dr. Brenner said. “Super frequent fliers or airline personnel, who might go through the machine several hundred times each year, might wish to opt for pat-downs. The more scans you have, the more your risks may go up—but the individual risks are always going to be very, very small.”

NCRP has recommended that backscatter X-ray systems adhere to an effective dose of 0.1 microsieverts (µSv) or less of ionizing radiation per scan, which roughly equates to the radiation exposure each passenger receives in under two minutes on the plane while flying at 30,000 feet. The average person in the U.S. receives an effective dose of about 3 millisieverts (3,000 µSv) per year from naturally occurring radioactive materials and cosmic radiation from outer space.

Author:

Radiological Society of North America, New articles examine safety of airport security scanners, Oak Brook, March 16, 2011

Literature:

• “Are X-ray Backscatter Scanners Safe for Airport Passenger Screening? For Most Individuals, Probably Yes, but a Billion Scans per Year Raises Long-Term Public Health Concerns.” David J. Brenner, Ph.D., D.Sc.
• “Does Security Screening with Backscatter X-rays Do More Good than Harm?” David A. Schauer, Sc.D., C.H.P.
• Radiology is edited by Herbert Y. Kressel, M.D., Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass., and owned and published by the Radiological Society of North America, Inc. (http://radiology.rsna.org/)
• RSNA is an association of more than 46,000 radiologists, radiation oncologists, medical physicists and related scientists committed to excellence in patient care through education and research. The Society is based in Oak Brook, Ill. (RSNA.org)
• For consumer-friendly information on radiation safety, visit RadiologyInfo.org.

Dr. William J. Rea, founder and director of the Environmental Health Center-Dallas (EHC-D) and world renowned specialist in treating chemical injury, has been featured in several articles of late about the health effects of the BP Oil Spill on cleanup crews and local residents.

The latest, “BP blamed for toxification” by Dahr Jamail of Al Jazeera, details how the 1.9 million gallons of toxic chemical dispersants used to break up the oil released by the explosion at one of BP’s deepwater oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico last summer has caused a wide array of disturbing symptoms in people exposed to the chemicals. The article states “Pathways of exposure to the dispersants are inhalation, ingestion, skin and eye contact. Health impacts include headaches, vomiting, diarrhea, abdom- inal pains, chest pains, respiratory system damage, skin sensitisation, hyperten- sion, central nervous system (CNS) depression, neurotoxic effects, cardiac arrhythmia and cardiovas- cular damage.

The chemicals are also teratogenic, mutagenic and carcinogenic.”

Also being reported in other articles* is the onset of Toxicant-Induced Loss of Tolerance (TILT) – another name for Chemical Sensitivity, a disabling condition that makes life very difficult for sufferers who react to very low levels of chemicals, mold, and other substances. As chemical use in our culture is so ubiquitous and deeply woven into the fabric of daily life, managing the illness can be a life-long struggle.

BP Oil Spill Protest Banners © Infrogmation

Dr. Rea is an expert on Chemical Sensitivity, having treated many thousands of patients with the condition (including those exposed to toxic chemicals in crude oil and dispersants) since his treatment center opened in 1974. Regarding the BP Oil Spill victims, Dr. Rea explains his treatment approach:

‘We first try to eliminate people’s symptoms, and that is organ specific,’ Rea explained at his clinic, which is one of the oldest and most advanced centres in the world for addressing health as it relates to the environment. ‘We try to lower their toxic load by giving them intravenous nutrients, oral nutrients, sauna, and have them live in quarters that are less polluted, eat organic food and have them get safe drinking water.’

Rea has treated many people from the Gulf that have been made sick by BP’s toxic chemicals.

“I have multiple concerns now about people in the Gulf being affected by these chemicals,’ he said. ‘First, they are all fatigued and not able to work. When your muscles are all fatigued and tired, it’s hard to function. People are getting cloudy brains, others are having heart problems because of the chemicals. Others have broncho-spasm and asthma from this. Others bloat and get sleepy after eating, diarrhea, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome and other gastrointestinal problems.”

Dr. Rea stresses that it is critical to remove patients from the area of contamination in order for treatment to be effective.

In Ricki Ott’s article “BP, Governments Downplay Public Health Risk From Oil and Dispersants” published by Huffington Post last July, she reminds us that Dr. Rea treated some of the sick Exxon Valdez cleanup workers as well.

Planet Thrive is proud to host Dr. Rea’s free question and answer column and welcomes questions from those affected by the BP Oil Explosion tragedy, as well as those suffering from other forms of chemical exposure.

Source:

Planet Thrive, Dr. William Rea recognized as expert for BP Oil Spill victims, November 10, 2010

Related articles:

• Evidence mounts of BP spraying Dispersants
• Oil Spill: Kids in the Gulf
• * Huffington Post: Gulf Coast Oil Spill Work
• * Southern Studies: Tilt the Illness afflicting Workers exposed to BP’s Oil Desaster
• * WOAI: Mysterious Illness plagues Gulf Oil Disaster