The 100 years of British radiologists epidemiology study deservesattention.

[John Cameron <jrcamero@facstaff.wisc.edu>]

Title: The 100 years of British radiologists epidemiology stu

Colleagues: The radon health issue is unlikely to ever be scientifically resolved. A more important aspect of radiation protection that affects all radiation workers is the health effects of low level, low LET radiation (i.e., x-rays and gamma rays). In that area there are two important epidemiological studies which strongly suggest that moderate dose rates stimulate the immune system, reducing deaths from all causes. The most important is the British radiologist study (BJR June 2001) which shows that the health of the British radiologists (as measured by longevity) was not harmed even by the very high doses to early radiologists (1897-1920) and that the radiologists who registered from 1955 to 1979 had 30% lower cancer mortality and 38% lower non-cancer mortality than all male MDs in England.

        A comparable health improvement was shown by the 28,000 nuclear shipyard workers with the greatest cumulative doses (>5 mSv) compared to 32,500 age-matched and job-matched unexposed shipyard workers. The nuclear workers had lower cancer mortality (P<0.01) and a 24% lower death rate from all causes (P<10^-16) than the  unexposed workers.  The recent  NCRP Report No. 136 on LNT ignored both the British radiologists study and the nuclear shipyard worker study (NSWS). The NSWS, which was completed in 1988 at a cost of $10 million of tax-payers money (via DOE) has never been published. (The NSWS had twice yearly peer review from 1980-1988 by a Technical Advisory Panel chaired by Dr. Art Upton.  I was a member of  TAP.)

        These two studies provide strong evidence that it would be ethical to do the double-blind human radiation study of senior citizens I propose in my article "Is radiation an essential trace energy? in Oct 2001 Physics and Society, available at http://www.aps.org/units/fps/oct01/a5oct01.html

        My draft letter to the editor of the Br. J. of Radiology has been posted on the new health physics list server on Yahoo. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/health_physics

It is also available from me by e-mail request to: jrcamero@facstaff.wisc.edu.

        Only a well designed double blind study will produce the data needed to resolve the health effects of low dose rate (low LET) radiation. I would be happy to participate in such a study. (I'm 79 and my immune system has taken early retirement!)

Best wishes, John

       

       

       

       

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John R. Cameron (jrcamero@facstaff.wisc.edu)
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