[ RadSafe ] Panel Affirms Radiation Link to Cancer

[Muckerheide, James]

They announced the report will be pub'd (by NAP) "this summer." There is a
PDF of the pre-pub, 'unproofed', version provided to the media. (733 pages,
almost 5 MB)
 
I'll pass on the "what studies Q" for the moment!? :-)
 
Do you want to do a review?
 
Regards, Jim Muckerheide
 
________________________________

From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl on behalf of Mercado, Don
Sent: Wed 6/29/2005 2:13 PM
To: Sandy Perle; radsafe; powernet at hps1.org
Subject: RE: [ RadSafe ] Panel Affirms Radiation Link to Cancer



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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