[ RadSafe ] Fwd: Is this the beginning of the end of the debate on low-dose radiation health effects?

[Brennan, Mike (DOH)]

Indeed, what Chris said.  

One of the non-trivial problems is controlling for all possible confounding factors.  With mice you could start with populations of near-genetically-identical individuals, fed the same food and kept for generations in identical habitats, with radiation level being the only variable.  You could take samples of whatever tickled your fancy, and let them die without intervention, recording and publishing every detail of their existence.  Trying the same experiment with people presents many problems, the practical ones not even breaking into the top ten.  

Personally, I think comparing human populations living in locations with very different background radiation levels can cast doubt on LNT, but there are so many confounding factors that are difficult or impossible to control for that I am dubious about going much further than that.  I have little confidence the other factors will be controlled for well enough to convince anyone that they are wrong.  I have reached the point where I figure if I can talk to someone to a point that the radiation they are being exposed to is a greater risk than the stress they feel about radiation, I am having a good day. 

-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu [mailto:radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu] On Behalf Of Chris Alston
Sent: Thursday, June 26, 2014 12:58 PM
To: The International Radiation Protection (Health Physics) Mailing List
Subject: [ RadSafe ] Fwd: Is this the beginning of the end of the debate on low-dose radiation health effects?

Hi Mohan

I imagine that Mike implies that not at all, and that he is referring, with heavy irony, to the likely controversy that would attach to trialling hormesis in humans.  Offhand, it seems to me that the radiation oncologists, and their partners in medical oncology, are the only docs who are well-positioned to propose such trials without a thunderstorm of controversy, and with some chance of approval by IRB 's.

Best
cja
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Doss, Mohan <Mohan.Doss at fccc.edu>
Date: Thu, Jun 26, 2014 at 3:25 PM
Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Is this the beginning of the end of the debate on low-dose radiation health effects?
To: "The International Radiation Protection (Health Physics) Mailing List" <radsafe at agni.phys.iit.edu> Dear Mike, Are you saying that clinical trials to investigate the validity of radiation hormesis, when there is considerable evidence in human studies (See http://goo.gl/Vk0H2o), are "crimes against humanity"?
Not testing the validity of radiation hormesis hypothesis when it was proposed in 1980 based on the faith in the LNT model hypothesis (and the ensuing policies such as ALARA) was a major deviation from the scientific method, since one unverified hypothesis was used to prevent the study of a competing hypothesis, stalling scientific progress.
For details see
http://dose-response.metapress.com/link.asp?id=11h3l8t067886g08.
Since radiation hormesis has survived long-term scrutiny with more evidence accumulating for it (e.g. 2011 Tubiana study of second cancers in radiation therapy patients) whereas LNT model has not (as seen in the recent debate, e.g.),  the misstep by advisory bodies has likely caused millions in preventable cancer deaths over the past few decades.
With best regards, Mohan
-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at agni.phys.iit.edu<mailto:radsafe-bounces at agni.phys.iit.edu>
[mailto:radsafe-bounces at agni.phys.iit.edu] On Behalf Of Brennan, Mike
(DOH)
Sent: Thursday, June 26, 2014 1:03 PM
To: The International Radiation Protection (Health Physics) Mailing List
Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Is this the beginning of the end of the debate on low-dose radiation health effects?
I wasn't thinking of experiments on humans, as there  are all those "crimes against humanity" aspects that are best avoided.  I would settle for mice, with the experiment running a half dozen generations or so.
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