[ RadSafe ] "low dose radiation slows down cardiovascular disease"

[John R Johnson]

Jerry

In Canada it is the ICRP & the CNSC.

An past scientist at CRNL (now CRL)

John
***************
John R Johnson, PhD
CEO, IDIAS, Inc.
4535 West 9th Ave
Vancouver, B. C.
V6R 2E2, Canada
idias at interchange.ubc.ca


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jerry Cohen" <jjc105 at yahoo.com>
To: "The International Radiation Protection (Health Physics) Mailing List" 
<radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu>
Sent: Thursday, February 17, 2011 10:06 AM
Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] "low dose radiation slows down cardiovascular 
disease"


> Open letter to Researchers at the Chalk River Laboratories.
>
> Don't you people realize that radiation is bad, bad, bad for everyone at 
> all
> dose levels greater than zero!! If you persist in this work, you might 
> endanger
> the enormous levels of research funding for low-dose biological effects, 
> and
> will surely find yourselves on the ICRP &  NCRP's enemies list.
>
> Consider yourselves warned ;-)      Jerry Cohen
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: "Franta, Jaroslav" <frantaj at aecl.ca>
> To: radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu
> Sent: Thu, February 17, 2011 6:19:50 AM
> Subject: [ RadSafe ] "low dose radiation slows down cardiovascular 
> disease"
>
> UNRESTRICTED | ILLIMITÉ
>
> Interesting research suggesting radiation hormesis.....
>
>
> Sent: February 17, 2011 8:34 AM
> Subject: [cdn-nucl-l] Innovative radiobiology at Chalk River
>
> FYI, this article was recently prepared by our biological research group 
> at
> Chalk River Laboratories.  It’s a good example of the cutting-edge R&D 
> that
> takes place here, with benefits for all Canadians.
> Jeremy Whitlock
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> In the Hearts of Mice and Men
>
> The Biological Research Facility (BRF) at Chalk River Laboratories is a 
> globally
> unique facility. Within the BRF, animal (rodent) and animal tissue-based
> research is undertaken to study the biological effects of radiation.
>
> One project is a major, ongoing collaborative study that began in 2006 and 
> is
> supported by the research program of the Commission of the European Union. 
> AECL
> is one of many partners in this project, which includes 16 European 
> universities
> and laboratories, McMaster University, Health Canada and the Ottawa Heart
> Institute.
>
> One of the main objectives of our research is to determine the effects of 
> low
> dose, gamma-radiation on the development and progression of cardiovascular
> disease (atherosclerosis) in mice. The mice used for heart research are
> genetically modified so that they will develop heart disease. 
> Understanding what
> is happening in mice will increase our understanding of the consequences 
> of
> exposure to low radiation doses in humans - such as doses commonly 
> employed in
> diagnostic radiography and those incurred by radiation workers.
>
> Atherosclerosis is a disease that is caused by the deposition of “fatty 
> plaques”
> within arteries, including those in and around the heart. These plaques 
> cause
> decreased blood flow to organs in the body, and angina in the heart. Also, 
> they
> may block arteries causing heart attacks and strokes.
>
> Mice were exposed either at early stages of the disease or at late stages 
> of the
> disease to low doses of radiation. Different dose rates were used to 
> reproduce
> both acute (short) and chronic (prolonged) irradiations.
>
> At three months or six months post-exposure, the hearts and aortas of the 
> mice
> were examined to determine the severity of the atherosclerotic lesions. 
> Blood
> samples were also collected and tested for cholesterol levels. The
> atherosclerotic lesions were analyzed for size, severity and number.
>
> While there were some differences between the effects produced by low and 
> high
> dose rate exposures, and by exposures given at early and late stages of 
> the
> disease, the effects seen were found to be generally protective, rather 
> than
> damaging. Low doses of gamma-radiation resulted in fewer, smaller and less
> severe plaques.
>
>
> When higher doses of radiation were used these apparently beneficial 
> effects
> disappeared and it is generally recognised that high radiation doses harm 
> the
> heart and its arteries. How low dose radiation slows down cardiovascular 
> disease
> is not yet clear, but it’s likely to be related to its anti-inflammatory
> effects.
>
> An interesting consequence of this work is that the beneficial effects of 
> low
> dose radiation on arteries, if confirmed in humans (and there is some 
> evidence
> to suggest this may be so), may more than counter any shortened life 
> expectancy
> from a small increased risk of cancer.
>
> Nick Priest
> Manager, Radiation Protection Research & Instrumentation
>
> Michelle Bugden
> BRF Technologist
>
>
>
>
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