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The Origins of BSE? - Page 8

A SPATIO-TEMPORAL EPIDEMIOLOGICAL CORRELATION EXISTS BETWEEN THE FLIGHT PATHS OF SUPERSONIC TURBOJET AIRCRAFT AND CLUSTERS OF NEW STRAIN CJD / BSE

In respect of the fact that both the clinical and pathological profiles of BSE and vCJD involve disturbances of the circadian-vestibular-auditory pathways (1)(16) and that infrasound is known to influence both the vestibular-auditory system (98) and the circadian biorhythms, (32) then the emergence of clusters of the modern strain, aggressive TSEs (v CJD and BSE) in locations influenced by highly intensive infrasonic shock bursts may indicate a connection with the aetiology of nv TSEs.

For instance, the infrasonic shock frequencies radiated from both sub-sonic flight paths as well as the 100 km sonic boom carpet (109) along the routine, charter and test flight corridors of supersonic aircraft seems to correlate with the spatial distribution of new variant TSEs incidence precisely. In this respect, the intense infrasonic waves emitted from the “after burner” propulsion turbo fans that are employed during acceleration and deceleration of supersonic civilian and low flying military aircraft (98)(116) could provide an explanation for the final pathogenic trigger in the multifactorial aetiology of nvTSEs.

From this perspective, it is easy to see how Britain, and then France, became the exclusive host to virtually all cases of vCJD (93); since they are the countries who exclusively developed the Concorde supersonic passenger aircraft services which have employed the largest afterburner turbofans in use to date.

A spatial correlation exists between the map of the routine flight paths of Concorde, from Paris and Heathrow to JFK airport, New York and return, (109)(130) and its regular charter flight paths (131) between UK/Channel Island airports and Heathrow and the UK map illustrating distribution of BSE/vCJD incidence (8)(93) See Map 4.

BSE largely originated in the mid south and south west of England, SW Eire (Co Cork), etc,(7)(8) being areas over which the original routine transatlantic Concorde flights flew (130); and were therefore directly influenced by the 100 km boom carpet of infrasound radiated by the these over-flights. During the early days of Concorde testing/service up until the late 1980s, structural damage to buildings (shattering of windows and ceilings, etc.)(123)(130) due to Concorde’s sonic boom was regularly reported in the news, particularly in the settlements sited alongside Concorde’s flight corridor over the River Severn. Many of the initial public complaints had misattributed the mystery bangs and vibrations of Concorde over-flights, which shook the whole of south west England and South Wales, to an earthquake of unprecedented proportion by UK standards.

Recordings of the first 97 transatlantic departures of Concorde from Heathrow during 1976 revealed that 72% of those departures breached the max permitted noise levels of 110 PNdB (132). Some departures had recorded as high as 135 PNdB.

Presumably, modifications to the Mach speed, angle of take off and application of the afterburner turbo fans resulted in the easing of these problems to the more tolerable levels experienced over recent years.

As Concorde’s regular charter and air-show flights expanded to cover visits to the more northerly airports of the England, N Ireland and Scotland, so the distribution of BSE and vCJD has spread likewise (8)(93).

Part of northern Brittany lies beneath the initial routine service flight paths of the French Concorde (109) and this region exclusively hosted the first French cases of BSE/vCJD (133 ) . In fact, BSE remained exclusive to Brittany for a seven year period (133) apart from 3 outbreaks which occurred in the southern regions of France which lay beneath the Concorde route to the Middle East. Brittany still carries the highest incidence rate of BSE in France (133). Furthermore, Guernsey island hosts the highest incidence pocket of BSE in the world (1) and likewise lies directly beneath the flight path infrasonic carpet of the French Concorde (109) at a more outlying distance from Charles de Gaulle, Paris; at which point incoming and outgoing flights would be travelling at a higher Mach speed – thus radiating higher intensities of infrasonic shock.

Since the number of Concordes operating within the French and British fleets has increased - as well as an increase in routine flight traffic to destinations other than New York’s JFK airport (eg the Middle East, Spain and South America) plus increases in Concorde’s ‘joyride’ charter services around the Bay of Biscay (130)(131) - BSE subsequently started to emerge in the more southerly areas of Europe – Southern France (133), Switzerland, Portugal, Holland, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Germany (8) – being areas which are challenged by an increasing number of Concorde over-flights serving an increasing variety of destinations.

The mystery of ‘western peninsula’ intensive BSE foci solved?

Maps depicting the distribution of high incidence BSE clustering per annum across the UK were presented to the BSE Inquiry by the New Zealand epidemiologist, Professor RS Morris (134) See Map 5.

These maps elucidated the previously unrecognised ‘spot’ spatial distribution of BSE incidence; that the most intensive category of BSE cluster (0.12-0.50 cases per 100 cattle per sq km) recorded during the UK BSE epidemic are all exclusively located on the most westerly tips of remote peninsulas stretching along the western coastline of the British isles. This curious distribution held true for every year of BSE incidence that Professor Morris had charted (1986-1996). How can such a pattern relate to the feeding of MBM?

Intriguingly, the well used “West Coast Route” flight path that was routinely used by supersonic jets of the military air forces, as well as by Concorde for running the exclusive tests of the Concorde's fresh off the production line (123)(135) (see map 5 and 6), passes precisely over the centre of all of the highest incidence category of BSE foci denoted on Professor Morris’s maps (134). NB; The soils of these peninsulas are also Cu deficient (92).

Military air bases or intensive low flying of military jets are also present/practised at all of these BSE cluster foci located at SW Cornwall, Hartland peninsula (Devon), West Pembrokeshire, Lleyn peninsular, Cumbrian Coast, Mull of Kintyre, Isle of Skye, Loch Glascarnoch, whilst another practise flight corridor, originally used by the Lightening aircraft (123)- trans-sected the UK’s southern counties See map 6

across areas like Maidstone that hosted high rates of BSE as well as a vCJD cluster in the late 1990s (6) and high rates of traditional CJD; especially in the 1970s (136).

During “Exercise Trafalgar” in the 1970s, Concordes were repeatedly flown along the “West Coast Route” See maps 5 & 6 and sonic boom experiments were carried out on patients in an isolated hospital, on farm & wild animals, on a cliff face and on building structures such as churches, monuments, etc, sited in the few remote western peninsula locations where this route passes over land (123). Given the relatively small total landmass area of Great Britain, the UK authorities executed by far the largest number of sonic boom experiments in areas close to human/animal populated areas (123) in relation to the few other countries who were involved in these types of trial. (eg the USA and France).

Another epidemiological mystery ignored by the conventional consensus on BSE, which could prove relevant here, entails the significant five fold increase in BSE incidence (71)(8) endured by cattle born during the mid winter period - for every year that BSE has existed. One underlying explanation for this and its relationship to the ‘Western Peninsula’ epidemiological mystery implicates the lack of copper availability in the farm food chain during the mid-winter period – thus suggesting that calves born during this high risk period for Cu deficiency will subsequently acquire heightened hypersensitivity to the background noise of artificial and naturally occurring infrasonic waves.

Natural infrasonic waves, known as microbaroms, are generated in the atmosphere by ocean surface waves (100)(109). These are considerably increased during the winter period due to rougher seas (137). In fact, the most westerly peninsulas of the UK would stand in the front line against the prevailing westerly winds that carry the infrasound generated from waves across the Atlantic- additionally compounded by the carriage of the more intense shock waves of Concorde’s transatlantic flights (137). In addition, strong westerly winds prevail in the stratosphere during winter, so that effective sound velocities are enhanced for waves travelling east and are considerably reduced for those travelling west (137). Oceanic wave induced infrasound is sufficient to invoke significant disturbances on the human brain biorhythms (34)

This provides an explanation for a seasonally enhanced chronic infrasonic assault on these westerly Atlantic peninsulas of the UK during the wintertime – areas which are chronically exposed to a high intensity of background natural infrasound whilst being repeatedly ‘topped up’ by the acute bursts of infrasonic shock waves radiated from the high intensity of supersonic passenger/military ove-flights across these remote peninsulas.

Interestingly, the Staten Island/Long Island environs around intensively used JFK airport where both the French and UK supersonic transatlantic aeroplanes land - albeit under more stringent noise regulations than those applied in Europe - hosts the highest incidence cluster of traditional CJD in the USA (138) (See Map 7).

Study of the environments where v CJD has clustered in the UK – Queniborough, Lymphstone, Adswood, Armthorpe, the Kent Weald, Burnham on Sea, Edinburgh, SE Lancs, Tenby, Eastleigh, etc. (5) have all experienced Concorde or other supersonic aeroplane over-flights connected to landing/taking off from local airports at Kegworth, Exeter, Manchester, Finningley, Heathrow, Bristol, Edinburgh, Liverpool, St Athan and Southhampton respectively (131). Furthermore, the victims of vCJD in Queniborough had lived less then a kilometre from a hotspot of infrasonic radiation – a former small factory/airfield that was employed in the manufacturing and testing of aeroplane engines, where engines were routinely left running outdoors at full throttle for several hours at a time (personal communication; Queniborough villagers).

Anecdotal correlations which link up infrasonic exposure and TSEs abound; Whilst conducting a survey on 15 BSE farms in Bavaria and 5 BSE farms in Holland, the author recorded intensive over-flights of military and civilian jet aircraft passing directly over 100% of farms subject to the questionnaire.

A keen lifetime preoccupation of the first victim of vCJD in the UK (a 19 year old) was military jet watching (139). He had joined the RAF before his death.

A cluster of traditional CJD had also emerged in three small villages East Chinnock, Crewkerne, Stoke Sub Hamdon of South Somerset during the 1990s (140). These villages lay beneath the incoming/outgoing flight paths of the RNAF Yeovilton airbase.

Vicars suffer CJD at one of the highest incidence rates for an occupational group of 11.8 per million head of population (141). Apart from their chronic exposure to the infrasound radiating from church organs and bells, this may also stem from the fact that many beautiful churches and cathedrals ironically became the ‘in vogue’ target for testing the impact of sonic booms on building structures during Exercises ‘Underlord’, ‘Gambit’, ‘Summer sky’ and ‘Trafalgar’ carried out at the end of the 1960s/1970s in the UK (123). One of the prime test targets of Exercise Trafalgar was to ‘sonic boom’ the cathedral of St Davids in West Wales, since it lies directly beneath the “West Coast Route”(123). One of the serving vicars of St Davids died of CJD in 1996.


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