I am writing with reference to the front page article in your edition of Thursday June 21 entitled Cancer Victim Demands Inquiry. The article refers to a woman suffering from skin cancer, whom you identify only as "Lynn".
The penultimate paragraph of that article refers and attributes a quotation to myself. I am concerned that the paragraph misinterprets the comments that I made.
May I remind you of the next text of your paragraph, which is as follows: "However, acting director of public health, Dr Sudell said: 'The type of skin cancer is rare and is caused by ionising radiation. So you could say that if she has been exposed to high levels of radiation then this could be the cause.'"
I always take particular care to maintain a neutral position when commenting on issues relating to industrial operations, unless I have sound evidence to justify doing otherwise.
I did take such a neutral position when I spoke to your journalist about the subject matter of that article.
I am therefore extremely disappointed that you have used my comments to imply to your readers that my position is supportive of Lynn's case, and therefore critical of BNFL. Furthermore, I know only that Lynn's cancer is of a rare type. I simply do not know whether or not it is of a type that is linked to ionising radiation, and I did not suggest that it is. I am not able to comment on whether or not any alleged radiation leak took place.
The main message that I conveyed to your reporter is that it is impossible to attribute any cancer in any particular individual to any one cause. I do, however have sympathy with Lynn's health problems and offer her every good wish in that respect.
Dr AJ Sudell, acting director of public health and health policy.
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