[ RadSafe ] Calculated Health Impacts of Reducing NaturalBackground Ionizing Radiation

[Scott, Bobby]

Thanks Jim for your e-mails.

Regarding the nuclear shipyard study, it has now been published by
Sponsler and Cameron (see below).  You are correct related to the DOE's
interest in a low level radiation research facility.  In mid January of
this year, ORION organized for the DOE a Low Level Radiation Effects
Summit that was held in Carlsbad, NM for the purpose of discussing the
feasibility of setting up a below natural background radiation exposure
facility (underground) at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) here in
New Mexico.  Based on that summit, a proposal was prepared for the
facility and I think now submitted via ORION.  Leo Gomez, David Brenner,
and Otto Raabe have key roles in the proposal.  The issues you mention
related to radon and K-40 were discussed at the summit.

Sponsler R & Cameron JR. Nuclear shipyard worker study (1980-1988): a
large cohort exposed to low-dose-rate gamma radiation. International
Journal of Low Radiation, 2005, 1, 463-478.

For Radsafe Digest readers interested in the topic of low-dose radiation
induced adapted protection, you may want to get a copy of the new Dose
Response journal issue that will publish adapted-protection-associated
papers that relate to presentations to be given in the Radiation Session
at the BELLE 2006 Conference (June 6-8, 2006) at the University of
Massachusetts.  The scheduled presentations are as follows:

Carmel Mothersill et al., Protective bystander effects following low
dose ionizing radiation exposure.

Tanya Day et al., Adaptive response in pKZ1 mouse prostate after whole
body exposure to very low X-radiation doses.

Leslie Redpath, Radiation-induced neoplastic transformation in vitro,
hormesis and risk assessment.

Douglas Boreham, Low dose radiation exposure and modulation of high dose
effects on embryogenesis and heritable mutations.

Kazou Sakai, Prolongation of life span of disease model mice by low dose
rate irradiation.

Ludwig Feinendegen, Biological system response to ionizing radiation
invalidates the linear-no-threshold hypothesis.

Charles Sanders and Bobby Scott, Smoking and hormesis as confounding
factors in radiation pulmonary carcinogenesis.


For BELLE conference information, you can contact the conference
coordinator, Denise Leonard 413-545-1239, e-mail
dleonard at schoolph.umass.edu .  Information about the conference can also
be assessed via http://www.hormesissociety.org .

Bobby