[ RadSafe ] RE: Panel Affirms Radiation Link to Cancer

[alstonchris at netscape.net]

It's BEIR VII; you can get it from the National Academy Press of the National Academy of Sciences.

Cheers
cja




"Mercado, Don" <don.mercado at lmco.com> wrote:

>Where is this report published and what studies did they review to come
>up with this conclusion?
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl] On
>Behalf Of Sandy Perle
>Sent: Wednesday, June 29, 2005 9:43 AM
>To: radsafe; powernet at hps1.org
>Subject: [ RadSafe ] Panel Affirms Radiation Link to Cancer
>
>
>Comments?
>
>Panel Affirms Radiation Link to Cancer 
>By H. JOSEF HEBERT, Associated Press Writer 
>
>WASHINGTON - The preponderance of scientific evidence shows that even 
>very low doses of radiation pose a risk of cancer or other health 
>problems and there is no threshold below which exposure can be viewed 
>as harmless, a panel of prominent scientists concluded Wednesday. 
> 
>The finding by the  National Academy of Sciences panel is viewed as 
>critical because it is likely to significantly influence what 
>radiation levels government agencies will allow at abandoned nuclear 
>power plants, nuclear weapons production facilities and elsewhere.
>
>The nuclear industry,, as well as some independent scientists, have 
>argued that there is a threshold of very low level radiation where 
>exposure is not harmful, or possibly even beneficial. They said 
>current risk modeling may exaggerate the health impact.
>
>The panel, after five years of study, rejected that claim.
>
>"The scientific research base shows that there is no threshold of 
>exposure below which low levels of ionized radiation can be 
>demonstrated to be harmless or beneficial," said Richard R. Monson, 
>the panel chairman and a professor of epidemiology at Harvard's 
>School of Public Health.
>
>The committee gave support to the so-called "linear, no threshold" 
>model that is currently the generally acceptable approach to 
>radiation risk assessment. This approach assumes that the health 
>risks from radiation exposure declines as the dose levels decline, 
>but that each unit of radiation - no matter how small - still is 
>assumed to cause cancer.
>
>The panel, formally known as the Committee on Biological Effects of 
>Ionizing Radiaton, or BEIR, generally supported previous cancer risk 
>estimates - the last one by an earlier BEIR group in 1990.
>
>Contrary to assertions that risks from exposure from low-level 
>radiation may have been overstated, the panel said "the availability 
>of new and more extensive data have strengthened confidence in these 
>(earlier) estimates."
>
>The committee examined doses of radiation of up to 100 millisievert, 
>a measurement of accumulated radiation to an individual over a year. 
>By comparison, a single chest X-ray accounts for 0.1 millisievert and 
>average background radiation 3 millisievert.
>
>The committee estmated that 1 out of 100 people would likely develop 
>solid cancer or leukemia from an exposure of 100 millisievert of 
>radiation over a lifetime.
>
>-------------------------------------
>Sandy Perle
>Senior Vice President, Technical Operations
>Global Dosimetry Solutions, Inc.
>2652 McGaw Avenue
>Irvine, CA 92614 
>
>Tel: (949) 296-2306 / (888) 437-1714  Extension 2306
>Fax:(949) 296-1902 
>
>E-Mail: sperle at dosimetry.com
>E-Mail: sandyfl at earthlink.net 
>
>Global Dosimetry Website: http://www.dosimetry.com/ 
>Personal Website: http://sandy-travels.com/ 
>
>
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