Article:

[John Jacobus <crispy_bird@YAHOO.COM>]

I received this through another e-mail list, and

thought it would be of interest.

The original is at

http://www.auntminnie.com/default.asp?Sec=nws&Sub=rad&Pag=dis&ItemId=61006&whereFrom=H_LFTE_2004_3_5&d=1

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Thyroid radiation may be cancer risk: study

3/4/04

By: Reuters Health



LONDON (Reuters), Mar 4 - High doses of radiation

given to millions of people suffering from thyroid

disease could be increasing their risk of developing

cancer, according to a study.

The Swedish Radiation Protection Authority (SSI) says

doctors are failing to optimize doses of a standard

therapy for Graves disease and are giving a fixed

amount of radioactive iodine-131 that could be

dangerous for patients. 



Children with the autoimmune illness that causes

overactivity of the thyroid gland could be

particularly at risk because iodine-131 is highly

toxic. 



"With iodine therapy, they (doctors) don't care,"

Helene Jonsson, an inspector with the SSI, told New

Scientist magazine on Wednesday. "It is a concern." 



After analyzing the treatment of 187 people with

Graves disease whose dose of the treatment was

individually calculated at Malmo University Hospital

in Sweden, Jonsson found that if the standard dose had

had been used, the patients would have been given

two-and-a half times as much radiation as they needed.





"Iodine-131 is particularly highly toxic to young

children, increasing the risk of thyroid cancer even

at low doses," said Keith Baverstock, of the

University of Kuopio in Finland. 



Last Updated: 2004-03-03 16:31:45 -0400 (Reuters

Health)



Copyright © 2004 Reuters Limited. 





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"The care of human life and happiness . . . is the first and only legitimate object of good government."

Thomas Jefferson



-- John

John Jacobus, MS

Certified Health Physicist

e-mail:  crispy_bird@yahoo.com



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