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RE: Radiation Hormesis
Interesting. What were the doses?
--- Carl Speer <rtrs@cox.net> wrote:
> Karl (and others),
>
> We had and interesting laboratory experiment in
> Radiation Biology when I
> was in college where we irradiated bean seeds, fruit
> flies, and onion
> root with low, med, and high doses from a Co-60
> source from a local
> hospital. To show the effects of hormesis, no
> effect, and ill effect
> the students all received seeds from each exposed
> group plus seeds that
> did not get any extra dose (controls). We planted
> the seeds in cups at
> our home, gave all plants the same amount of water
> and noted the
> differences. The seeds with the low doses had more
> vigorous growth,
> smaller internodal lengths, and healthier leaves
> than the control. The
> higher dose plants had brown shriveled leaves,
> stunted growth, and other
> undesirable characteristics. We made a plot showing
> that as the dose
> initially increased we saw a net positive effect
> (hormesis) but as the
> dose continued to increase, a negative effect became
> apparent. This
> made a lasting impression and I have believed in
> hormesis ever since. I
> know people are not bean plants or fruit flies but
> this little
> experiment gave the hormesis theory more
> believability than the LNT in
> my mind.
>
> As for the fruit flies I don't remember the low dose
> effects. What
> stands out in my memory were the horrific mutations
> in the offspring of
> the high dose flies.
>
> The onion root tips were used so we could see the
> chromosome damage in
> the cells undergoing meiosis.
>
> See http://www.belleonline.com/n2v82.html RADIATION
> HORMESIS: ITS
> HISTORICAL FOUNDATIONS AS A BIOLOGICAL HYPOTHESIS by
> Edward J. Calabrese
> and Linda A. Baldwin for a good discussion on
> Hormesis.
>
> Carl Speer
> Real-Time Radiological Services, Inc.
> 2721 Losee Rd, Suite E
> North Las Vegas, NV 89030
> 702.639.0066
> www.RealtimeRad.com
> RTRS@cox.net
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu
> [mailto:owner-radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu] On Behalf
> Of
> RuthWeiner@AOL.COM
> Sent: Monday, January 19, 2004 7:28 AM
> To: "Karl Ellison";
> radsafe-digest@list.vanderbilt.edu
> Subject: Re: Radiation Hormesis
>
> I have always wondered how one could distinguish
> hormesis effects from
> ordinary good health. An example: small amounts of
> ionizing radiation
> are supposed to stimulate bone knitting after a
> break (I read this
> somewhere). However, the rates of bone recovery
> vary. Has there beenn a
> controlled study of this phenomenon? After my
> latest hip surgery, my
> doctor predicted that incorporation of the bone
> graft would take two
> years. It took six months. I was taking a drug
> that enhances calcium
> metabolism and I had quite a few xrays and I get a
> lot of exercise, so
> was it the drug, the x-ray, the exercise, two of
> those, or all three?
> Are there definitive studies showing hormesis?
>
> I am perfectly ready to accept hormesis, but in the
> current radiophobic
> climate, I believe we are better off just claiming
> no harm at less than
> a particular dose. Hormesis is one of those
> phenomena that even if it
> is real, doesn't SOUND real.
> --
> Ruth F. Weiner
> ruthweiner@aol.com
> 505-856-5011
> (o)505-284-8406
>
>
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=====
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-- John
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