[ RadSafe ] "John R. Cameron vs Radiation Phobia". A Tribute.

[Orion1111 at aol.com]

The Medical Physics and Health Physics World mourn the  passing of a great 
friend and colleague who contributed so much to the  profession and who was an 
inspiration to all who knew him.  John's   enormous achievements are well known 
and documented. Fortunately our memory  of him is preserved in his web site:
 
( _http://www.medphysics.wisc.edu/~jrc/_ 
(http://www.medphysics.wisc.edu/~jrc/) ) 
 
and in the many videotaped interviews  he conducted of his colleagues for the 
AAPM History Committee  (the last one on 10/27/04) and for the University of 
Wisconsin Medical Physics  Archives.  He himself  was interviewed twice by the 
AAPM and a number  of his lectures and presentations are recorded on tape, 
including 50 minutes of  his favorite jokes!  
 
        In his  retirement years he lectured widely in his mission to dispel 
radiation  phobia of the public and patients about unjustified concerns  over 
possible effects of low doses of radiation.  Indeed he felt that the  
profession itself was partly responsible for the public's fears and  misconceptions 
about ionizing radiation.  While some dismiss out  of hand John's conjecture 
that small doses of radiation may very well be "good  for you", no one can but 
admire John's amiable but persistent crusade to  stamp out unjustified radiation 
phobia. (See John's last paper in the Jan.  2005 BJR) 
 
        In October 2001, I was asked to review one of John's videotape  
presentations.  As a tribute to John's memory, I am pasting below my  review, with 
some minor editing, for those who may be  interested:
 
     ===================================================
IS  RADIATION AS DANGEROUS AS THEY SAY? By John R  Cameron, Professor 
Emeritus  University of Wisconsin - Madison. $25.00 (shipping included).  A 43-minute 
 educational video available from Medical Physics Publishing, 4513 Vernon 
Blvd.,  Madison, WI 53705. Phone: 800-442-5778. Fax: 608-265-2121  
(www.medicalphysics.org)            

John  Cameron, a highly respected nuclear and radiation physicist, is well 
known for  his original and thought provoking presentations of controversial 
scientific  subjects. The topic for this review is his 43-minute video taped 
lecture to the  Medical Effects of Ionizing Radiation course of the Armed Forces 
Radiation  Biology Institute of August 9, 2001.  It has a 16 page handout, 
which  includes his recent article on "Is  radiation an essential trace energy?"  
in the October 2001 issue of Physics and Society. Those who marvel at John's  
ability to present scientific concepts in a lucid and humorous manner that 
even  a lay person can understand and enjoy, certainly will not be disappointed 
by  this excellent presentation.  This lecture is "vintage" Cameron, guaranteed 
 to challenge the tenets of even those who may differ with his  conclusions.

John's  thesis is simple: There is no scientific evidence that low level 
ionizing  radiation in the range of 10 to 200 times the average background dose 
and dose  rates are carcinogenic or in any other way harmful. Quite to the 
contrary.   There are compelling studies which indicate that low level radiation 
exposure  not only reduces the cancer death rate compared to background controls 
but also  reduces the mortality rate in general.  In other words, small doses 
of  radiation are good for you and beneficial to mankind.  It is as simple as 
 that.  He attributes this phenomenon to radiation stimulation of the body's  
immune system, although he does not attempt to explain the mechanism  
involved.
 
         John  cites in some detail four studies which support his thesis, 
and proposes a  simple, inexpensive double-blind study, which could further 
resolve the current  controversy of whether a little radiation is inherently 
beneficial.  If  that should prove to be the case, John suggests additional studies 
will be  needed to determine the optimum radiation doses and dose rate for 
maximum  benefit so that programs to INCREASE the population exposure to optimum 
levels  can be undertaken.  Until then, he feels that the evidence already  
available is strong enough to bring into serious doubt the current ICRP/NCRP  
philosophies embracing the linear no-threshold (LNT) assumption and the  ALARA 
principle. Indeed, John suggests that governmental agencies promulgating  
radiation regulations have an inherent conflict of interest and may very well be  
wasting billions of taxpayer's dollars in pursuit of ALARA to the detriment of 
 public health.  
 
        John even  speculates, perhaps somewhat tongue-in-cheek, that the 
time will come (but not  in our lifetime!) when we will use our radioactive waste 
selectively to enhance  the population background exposure to optimum levels 
for maximizing the benefits  for public health! Controversial? Yes! Will 
health physicists lose their jobs?  Perhaps.  Will radiation protection agencies go 
out of business?  Maybe, but don't count on it!  Stay  tuned.

John points out  that the public is badly misinformed about the fictional 
hazards of low level  radiation and he offers practical advice for both patients 
and medical  practitioners on how to equate diagnostic exposures in terms of 
equivalent  background exposure times, thereby circumventing some of  the 
misconceived notions of radiation  risk. 

Some viewers  may wish that professional videographers had conducted the 
video recording,  while others may find the low-budget format appealing and 
consistent with John's  frugal nature. In any case, this reviewer immensely enjoyed 
the presentation and  highly recommends it to all medical and health 
physicists, particularly those  who teach the fundamentals of radiation effects and 
protection.   

Robert O Gorson, Emeritus Professor of Medical Physics, Thomas Jefferson  
University.
==============================================================================
=================== 


        While John's  words fell upon many deaf ears, there are some converts 
and  true believers.  In the case of "John R. Cameron vs Radiation  Phobia",  
the jury is still deliberating.  But, in  recognizing the great example set 
by John as a brilliant scientist and  inspiring leader, the jury's verdict long 
ago was unanimous.  Great  Show!  Thank you  John! 
 
Bob  Gorson