Nuclear weapons and human mutation

[Paul lavely <lavelyp@UCLINK4.BERKELEY.EDU>]

Some of you may be interested in a Science article in the 6 Feb 2002 

issue page 1037, titled "Nuclear Weapons Tests and Human Germline 

Mutation Rate" by Yuri E. Dubrova et. al. of the Department of 

Genetics, University of Leicester in the UK.that concludes:



"In conclusion, this study shows that the exposure to radioactive 

fallout from nuclear weapons tests carried out at the Semipalatinsk 

nuclear test site in the late 1940s and early 1950s roughly doubled 

germline mutations rate in the affected population." and "More 

importantly . . . provides experimental evidence for change in human 

germline mutation rate with declining exposure to ionizing radiation 

and therefore show that the Moscow treaty banning nuclear weapon 

tests in the atmosphere (August 1963) has been effective in reducing 

genetic risk to the affected population."





Paul Lavely <lavelyp@uclink4.berkeley.edu>

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