Paper on Taiwan Co-60 Apartment Exposures

["Jim Hoerner" <jim_hoerner@HOTMAIL.COM>]

Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons Volume 9 Number 1 Spring 2004



Is Chronic Radiation an Effective Prophylaxis

Against Cancer?



W.L. Chen, Y.C. Luan, M.C. Shieh, S.T. Chen, H.T. Kung,

K.L. Soong, Y.C. Yeh, T.S. Chou, S.H. Mong, J.T. Wu,

C.P. Sun,W.P. Deng,M.F.Wu, M.L. Shen



ABSTRACT

An extraordinary incident occurred 20 years ago in Taiwan.

Recycled steel, accidentally contaminated with cobalt-60 (half-life:

5.3 y), was formed into construction steel for more than 180

buildings, which 10,000 persons occupied for 9 to 20 years. They

unknowingly received radiation doses that averaged 0.4 Svóa

ìcollective doseî of 4,000 person-Sv.



Based on the observed seven cancer deaths, the cancer

mortality rate for this population was assessed to be 3.5 per

100,000 person-years. Three children were born with congenital

heart malformations, indicating a prevalence rate of 1.5 cases per

1,000 children under age 19.



The average spontaneous cancer death rate in the general

population of Taiwan over these 20 years is 116 persons per

100,000 person-years. Based upon partial official statistics and

hospital experience, the prevalence rate of congenital

malformation is 23 cases per 1,000 children. Assuming the age and

income distributions of these persons are the same as for the

general population, it appears that significant beneficial health

effects may be associated with this chronic radiation exposure.



The findings of this study are such a departure from

expectations, based on International Commission on Radiological

Protection (ICRP) criteria, that we believe that they ought to be

carefully reviewed by other, independent organizations and that

population data not available to the authors be provided, so that a

fully qualified, epidemiologically valid analysis can be made. Many

of the confounding factors that limit other studies used to date, such

as those of the A-bomb survivors, the Mayak workers, and the

Chernobyl evacuees, are not present in this population exposure. It

should be one of the most important events on which to base

radiation-protection standards.



The data on reduced cancer mortality and congenital

malformations are compatible with the phenomenon of radiation

hormesis, an adaptive response of biological organisms to low

levels of radiation stress or damageña modest overcompensation

to a disruptionñresulting in improved fitness. Recent assessments

of more than a century of data have led to the formulation of a wellfounded

scientific model of this phenomenon.



The experience of these 10,000 persons suggests that longterm

exposure to radiation, at a dose rate of the order of 50 mSv (5

rem) per year, greatly reduces cancer mortality, which is a major

cause of death in North America. Medical scientists and

organizations may wish to seriously assess this and other current

evidence in deciding whether chronic radiation could be an

effective agent for enhancing defenses against cancer.



Full paper at http://tinyurl.com/362ca

Archived at 

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Know_Nukes/files/hormesis_taiwan_apartments.pdf

[170 kB pdf]



--

Hold the door for the stranger behind you. When the driver in the adjacent 

lane signals to get over, slow down. Smile and say "hi" to the folks you 

pass on the sidewalk. Give blood. Volunteer.



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