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Hormetic Effects of Radiation should not be limited to cancer.

Dear Otto,

	 Perhaps you have noticed that beneficial effects seems to be 

narrowly interpreted to reduction of cancer which is hard to prove 

because of the complexity of cancer and the many causes of cancer, 

such as obesity.

	The strongest evidence of health benefits of radiation is the 

greatly reduced deaths from non-cancer as shown in the nuclear 

shipyard worker and the 100 -year study of British radiologists. Even 

the earliest UK radiologists (1897-1920) with a 75% increase in 

cancer had a significant decrease of deaths from non-cancer. Their 

longevity was slightly longer (NS) than their medical colleagues.

	 The decrease in non-cancer is easiest to understand by the 

public in terms of increased longevity. See my article:  Cameron, 

J.R. Longevity is the most appropriate measure of health effects of 

radiation,  Radiology 229, 14-16 (2003). 

http://www.medphysics.wisc.edu/~jrc/art_longevity.htm

	The death rate from non-cancer for 28,000 nuclear shipyard 

workers with the greatest cumulative doses was 31% lower than that of 

the 32,500 unexposed controls. (16 std dev or p<10^-16) This results 

in  an increase of longevity of about three years.

	The non-cancer death rate of the UK radiologists who joined a 

radiological society between 1955-1979 is 36% lower  (p<0.001) than 

that of other UK MDs.

	It seems to me that radiation health scientists should look 

at the real bottom line! I welcome your comments.

Best wishes,

John Cameron



>You wrote: (1) The State with the lowest cancer rate has most of its 

>population living very close to sea level: HAWAII

>

>(2) Age distribution is not a factor in published cancer rates since 

>they have been corrected for age distribution.



-- 

John R. Cameron (jrcamero@wisc.edu)

3100 Lake Mendota Dr. #502, Madison, WI 53705  (608) 238-9694 until 10/20

2678 SW 14th Drive, Gainesville, FL 32608 Phone: (352) 371-9865 after 10/20/04



Visit  the Virtual Radiation Museum  (VRM), the first "Wing" in the 

SCIENCE MUSEUM  at "http://www.sciencemuseum.us";.  My web page is 

http://www.medphysics.wisc.edu/~jrc/