[ RadSafe ] Myth Busters and Irradiated Cockroaches - Jan 30 (UNCLASSIFIED)

Tue Jan 8 16:26:02 CST 2008

Classification:  UNCLASSIFIED 
Caveats: NONE

Good Evening All,

I do happen to have my copy of "Will Insects Inherit the Earth," and on
pages 15 and 16, Dr. D.A. Crossley, Jr. addresses the consequences to
insects in the event of a nuclear war that produced widespread
radiological contamination.  His answer speaks mainly to species effects
and their place in the ecosystem.

To summarize:

"... they [insects] can survive exposure to about 1000 R acute dosage
without increased mortality (in fact, their longevity may increase
slightly following exposures to 500-1000 R, which led one health
physicist to propose that a little radiation is good for you).  Insects
may be sterilized by exposures to 1000-2000 R or so, depending on
species, dose rate, and other factors.  Mortality effects appear after
exposure to several thousand R, but they may require several days to be
manifest (the "period of delayed response).  Sterility may account for
the observed phenomenon of increased longevity.  Species of insects vary
largely in their sensitivity to radiation, however, and the sensitivity
is related to species group, size, diet, and doubtless other factors.
Life history phenomena may become altered, so that otherwise viable and
fertile insects may not be able to mate."

The final paragraph of Dr. Crossley's response is

"Ultimately, the 'sage' may be correct.  Cockroaches may be the final
beneficiaries of all of our labor.  They are able to feed on the dead,
decaying organic matter which we might produce in great supply.
Cockroaches are fairly radiosensitive as insects go, however; I think I
would put my money on one of the little fungus gnats or chironomid
flies. Even given the 'nuclear winter,' the final observer of our
stewardship of the earth may be a melancholy gnat."

Jerry
________________________________

The statements and opinions expressed herein are my responsibility; no
one else (certainly not my employer) is responsible, but I still reserve
the right to make mistakes.

Don't panic! - Douglas Adams in "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"

Gerald A. Falo, Ph.D., CHP
U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine - Health
Physics Program
jerry.falo at us.army.mil
410-436-4852
DSN: 584-4852

-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl] On
Behalf Of stewart farber
Sent: Tuesday, January 08, 2008 4:51 PM
To: RADSAFE; Boomologist
Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Myth Busters and Irradiated Cockroaches - Jan
30

HI all,

Of interest to some, the 50th Anniversary of the HPSociety saw the
publication of "A Half Century of Health Physics [Ryan & Poston, Sr.,
editors). This publication on page 229 mentions that there was a 1988
HPS Special Publication: "Will Insects Inherit the Earth". See:

http://books.google.com/books?id=qCebxPjdSBUC&pg=PA229&vq=insects+earth&
dq=will+insects+inherit+the+earth+health+physics&lr=&sig=ioW5kWCjaY3p_N5
Z_rEJn2dw4f8

I recall seeing this 1988 HPS Special Publication, but don't have it at
hand. Perhaps someone has the complete citation to the 1988 HPS Special
Publication which should be directly relevant to this thread about
roaches and radiation resistance. The old quote from Ecclesiastes "There
is nothing new under the sun" seems relevant to testing roaches again in
this new "study" planned of a few dozen roaches.

Stewart Farber, MS Public Health

Farber Medical Solutions, LLC
Linac, Medical, and HP Instrumentation Brokerage Bridgeport, CT 06604
[203] 441-8433 [Office] [203] 522-2817 [Cell] [203] 367-0791 [Fax]
email: radproject at sbcglobal.net
website:  www.farber-medical.com

----- Original Message -----
From: "Boomologist" <Boomologist at GotHotRocks.com>
To: "RADSAFE" <radsafe at radlab.nl>
Sent: Monday, January 07, 2008 4:33 PM
Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Myth Busters and Irradiated Cockroaches - Jan
30

>>>>Radsafers:
> The Discovery Channel has posted that the "cockroach survivability
theory"
> episode will air January 30 at 9:00PM and then again on Jan 31 at 1:00
AM.
> <<<
>
> Here is the article from the Spokesman Review dated October 20, 2007
which
> describes what they did at Hanford.
>
>
>

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Classification:  UNCLASSIFIED 
Caveats: NONE