Re: Risks of low level radiation - New Scientist Article

["Otto G. Raabe" <ograabe@UCDAVIS.EDU>]

December 4, 2001

Davis, CA



Don't waste your time reading this New Scientist Article. 



The fact that high LET alpha radiation can produce unique multiple

double-strand DNA lesions and the existence of bystander effects do not

imply anything about elevated risk. Cancer from alpha radiation is

well-known to be a highly non-linear, threshold-like phenomenon that is

only effective at very high doses (Evans, et al., radium-226 papers). In

addition most normal background radiation exposure is associated with high

energy alpha radiation to the lung tissues from radon decay products, and

there is apparently little health risk from these exposures (Cohen's

ecological studies).



Otto



**********************************************

Prof. Otto G. Raabe, Ph.D., CHP

Center for Health & the Environment

(Street Address: Bldg. 3792, Old Davis Road) 

University of California, Davis, CA 95616

E-Mail: ograabe@ucdavis.edu

Phone: (530) 752-7754   FAX: (530) 758-6140

***********************************************

************************************************************************

You are currently subscribed to the Radsafe mailing list. To unsubscribe,

send an e-mail to Majordomo@list.vanderbilt.edu  Put the text "unsubscribe

radsafe" (no quote marks) in the body of the e-mail, with no subject line.