Comment on “Comparative study of beta-decay data for eight nuclides measured at the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt” [Astropart. Phys. 59 (2014) 47–58]

We would like to comment on a recent paper by Sturrock et al. (2014) in which the authors analyze decay data acquired by an ionization chamber in our institute. They interpret the variations in the data as solar-driven changes in the decay rates of the radionuclides under study. In brief we would like to discuss and elucidate the properties and the origin of the data used by the authors and explain why these data are not a sound basis for claiming evidence for new physics.