"Jeff Liebermann" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 14 Apr 2010 02:01:21 +0100, "Arfa Daily"
wrote:

Over the years that I knew him, I lost count of the number of his
colleagues
that literally dropped dead from heart attacks. No warnings. No previously
known health problems. Sadly, my father-in-law also finally succumbed to
the
same fate. He was only in his mid fifties, reasonably trim and fit, didn't
drink and didn't smoke. There had been no warnings prior to the event,
that
anything was wrong. He simply dropped down on the golf course from a
massive
coronary, and died a few hours later in hospital, after suffering two
more.

Well, you can add one more person to the collection. I didn't drop
dead, but came close. In 2002, I narrowly missed having a heart
attack by having a triple bypass operation. I've been exposed to all
manner of RF for the previous 45 years. I don't drink or smoke. Other
than kidney stones, I had no previous maladies. Sounds like a
parallel to your father-in-law.

However, we both left out some details. My parents and family have a
history of cardiac issues. Those that died a natural death invariably
died from a stroke, heart attack, or similar cause. The family also
has a history of high blood pressure, which is largely invisible to
the casual observer. If I dropped dead today from a stroke or
coronary infraction, would you blame my genetics or my exposure to RF?

Moral: Pick you parents wisely.



Obviously, genetics need to play a part in any considerations here, as you
say. I didn't know his father, but did know his mother, who went on well
into her eighties, and smoked literally 'like a chimney', and it was lung
disease which finally got her, as you might imagine. He had several
brothers, all older than he was and, although they have died off one by one
now mostly, they were all well advanced in years when they went (it's been
20 odd years now since the F-i-L died - actually on my son's birthday). I
believe there is one brother still left alive now. So general genetics don't
seem to have been a major player for coronary heart disease, in the case of
his family, although obviously, it's a complex subject, and quirks of fate
in these respects, clearly happen.

Interesting though, how closely he seems to parallel you. I wonder if your
other radio club members who died, were 'casual' radio users just from a ham
perspective, or professionals working around this stuff for 10 hours a day
for many years. I wonder if there's any research or collated statistics on
this out on the big bad interweb ?

Arfa