[ RadSafe ] Impact of Cs-137 on Children's Lung Function

[Mark S. Rzeszotarski, Ph.D.]

I have always wondered about causation when I read articles like this 
about the Chernobyl accident.  Is Cs-137 the true causative 
agent?  There were many fission products that were released into the 
environment, many of which were non-radioactive to start with and 
some that have decayed into stable daughters, etc.  Some of these 
elements could also be deleterious to one's health (e.g., heavy 
metals).  It is likely that there is a strong correlation between the 
presence of Cs-137 and these other contaminants.  Has anyone looked 
at the soup of elements produced in this accident to sort this out?
Regards,


>A recent paper (May 2010) in  Environmental Health Perspectives has
>found significant airway obstruction in children associated with
>Cs-137 levels due to Chernobyl.
>See  http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/browseIssue.action
>
>Any comments?
>
>Regards,
>L. Lowe
>
>Leo M. Lowe, Ph.D., P.Phys., CRadP