http://www.canada.com/montreal/montrealgazette/archives/story.asp?id=1AEB24CB-42F8-4F8D-8220-4AD7410F7393
'Dirty bombs' main priority at conference
Blood experts discuss ways to treat radiation exposure in event of attack
CHARLIE FIDELMAN Montreal Gazette Sunday, July 07, 2002
Treatment for radiation exposure from so-called "dirty bombs" topped the agenda of a symposium on blood that got under way in Montreal on Friday.
"What's the right approach in evaluating a radiation incident?" asked conference chairman Dr. Nicholas Dainiak as more than 675 delegates from 43 countries gathered at the annual meeting of the International Society for Experimental Hematology being held this year at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel.
"The recent surge in interest developed since the recent dirty-bomb scare in the United States and because of recent acts of terrorism going on around the world," said Dainiak, professor of medicine at Yale University and visiting professor of medicine at McGill University.
Dainiak was referring to U.S. officials' announcement in May that they had foiled a suspected plot to explode a radioactive bomb and to Canada's recent launch of a nation-wide training program for first responders - police, fire and ambulance crews - in 10 major cities.
"There's a sense that we should be prepared," said Dainiak of an issue that so far has not been widely discussed among hematologists and doctors.
"We're developing a common approach," said Dainiak at the start of the five-day meeting.
Radiation effects on blood cells have been studied since the nuclear-bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan during World War II showed the rate of leukemia increased, particularly in children, he said.
Dirty bombs don't involve a nuclear explosion, instead using conventional blasts to disperse radioactive material. It would kill people only in the immediate area. But it would spread fear and panic and could contaminate wide areas.
"The dirty bomb is not an atomic weapon. In the dirty-bomb scenario, it's likely people in a few city blocks would be affected, depending on the size of the explosives," he said.
While there's no one way to prepare for a massive radiation attack, a critical approach with the dirty-bomb scenario is to have first responders get to the scene and contain it, Dainiak said.
"And to triage patients who require immediate care due to non-radiation injury," he added.
Symptoms of high-level radiation exposure include skin burns and rashes, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, memory loss, a drop in blood pressure, anemia, bleeding into the skin, stomach and intestines.
Radiation destroys blood cells or induces them to die at a quicker rate than normal, so treatment to help stop bleeding and infection is vital, experts said.
Therapy involves a range of treatments from antibiotics and blood transfusions to the stimulation of blood cells with growth factor drug or a bone-marrow transplant, said Dr. Thomas MacVittle of the University of Maryland.
"Time is key in radiation therapy," he said.
The U.S. is currently exploring the possibility of having biotech companies stockpile growth factor so it could be available within 24 hours, he said.
It's not known whether Canada is involved in similar preparations, said Robert Stodilka, of Defence Research and Development Canada.
Other conference topics include stem-cell transplants, stem-cell cloning and gene therapy. The conference concludes on Tuesday.
- Charlie Fidelman's E-mail address is cfidelma@thegazette.southam.ca.