[ RadSafe ] Study Considers Children's Exposure to "Dirty Bomb"

[Brennan, Mike (DOH)]

While I don't disagree with the conclusion (even though I think it
boarders on the "Well, duh"), nor do I think it was a waste of time for
the research to be done, I don't think that it is overly productive to
present it in this way.  At a guess, I suspect that pretty much
everything about any terrorist attack will effect children differently
(and probably more strongly) than it will adults.

I would be surprised if a gas attack, like in Japan several years ago,
would not have greater short and long term effects on children than on
adults.  It is pretty much a given that many of the chemicals from
burning or collapsed buildings (mercury vapor from lights, for example)
would have more effect on children than adults.  I suspect that the
stress of the event affects children at least as deeply as it does
adults, and much of what some people think of as "the resiliency of
youth" is actually a lack of vocabulary.

I also don't see what those responding to a terrorist attack would do
differently in light of this information. 

-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl] On
Behalf Of Hansen, Richard
Sent: Thursday, November 01, 2007 8:15 AM
To: radsafe at radlab.nl
Subject: [ RadSafe ] Study Considers Children's Exposure to "Dirty Bomb"

The following news story is on Global Security Newswire for the Nuclear
Threat Initiative. 



Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Study Considers Children's Exposure to "Dirty Bomb"
http://www.nti.org/d_newswire/issues/2007_10_31.html

A new report indicates that children's bodies would respond differently
than those of adults to exposure to radiation from a "dirty bomb,"
meaning younger victims would require different medical treatment, the
University of Rochester Medical Center in New York announced today (see
GSN, May 25, 2006).

Researchers exposed juvenile and adult mice to a small amount of
radiation [0.5 and 10 gray, according to the Rochester Medical Center
release] intended to simulate the detonation of a radiological weapon.
"The tissue response of the younger mice indicated that radiation was
more damaging, possibly causing long-term harm to the body's structure
and function," according to a press release.

"It's difficult to think about developing strategies for a horrific,
hypothetical event," researcher Jacqueline Williams said in the release.
"But our work is teasing out some important nuances about how children
and adults ... respond to exposure to radioactive particles.  Our work
could also apply to the clinical setting, as we learn how to better
protect normal tissue from radiation exposure."

Further investigation is planned to determine why researchers found
different responses to radiation among mice of different ages.

Researchers also plan to study the potential effects on humans and
animals of inhaling or ingesting radioactive material, which are likely
to be different than exposure to external sources of radiation.  

"When a person receives external radiation to treat cancer, for example,
he or she does not become radioactive.  The exposure stops once the
therapeutic radiation beam is turned off," the release states.  Ongoing,
internal exposure to radioactive material, however, could constitute a
health risk.

The dirty bomb study was one project funded through a $21 million 2005
grant from the National Institutes of Health (University of Rochester
Medical Center release, Oct. 31).

See the University of Rochester Medical Center release for more details.
http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/pr/news/story.cfm?id=1712


Rick Hansen
Senior Scientist
Counter Terrorism Operations Support Program National Security
Technologies, LLC, (NSTec) hansenrg at nv.doe.gov
www.nv.doe.gov/nationalsecurity/homelandsecurity/responder.htm

NSTec was not involved in this research. 
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