Radiation effects (toxicity)

[HWADE@aol.com]

It's worth pointing out that for setting radiation protection standards
conventional wisdom, however mistaken, mandates the use of the 
linear-no threshold THEORY.
In the real world, we have much evidence that this theory is wrong.
Here are some citations that show this.(some are incomplete, but you can
look them up)
Each of these studies found that there was either a threshold or a protective
effect from the radiation doses that were looked at.

Evans, Robley D.
 Bone sarcoma in  radium dial painters.

Craig,L; Seidman,H.
 Leukemia and lymphoma mortality in relation to cosmic radiation.
Blood 17 : 319, 1961

Frigerio,N.A.; Stowe,R.S.;
 Carcinogenic and genetic hazard from background radiation.
IAEA Symposium, Biological and Environmental Effects of Low Level Radiation,
vol. 2, pp 285-289, Vienna, 1976

Spalding,J.F.; Thomas,R.G.; Tietjen,G.L.;
 Lifespan of C57 mice as influenced by radiation dose, dose rate and age at
exposure.
Report UC-48, LA 9528, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, 1982

Abbat,J.D.; Hamilton,T.R.; Weeks,J.L.
 Epidemiological studies in three corporations covering the Canadian nuclear
fuel cycle.
pp 351-361, Biological Effects of Low Level Radiation.  IAEA-STI/PUB 646,
International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, 1983

Gilbert,E.S.; Fry,S.A.; Wiggs,L.D.; Voelz,G.L.; Peterson,G.R.
 Analysis of combined mortality at the Hanford site, Oak Ridge National
Laboratory, and Rocky Flats Nuclear weapons Plant.
Radiation Research, 120:19, 1989.

Nambi, K.S.V; Soman S.D.
 Further Observations On Environmental Radiation And Cancer In India.
Health Physics, 1990 Sep, V59 N3:339-344.   

Wei LX; Zha YR; Tao ZF; He WH; Chen DQ; Yuan YL.
 Epidemiological investigation of radiological effects in high background
radiation areas of Yangjiang, China.
Journal of Radiation Research, 1990 Mar, 31(1):119-36.

Chen D; Wei L.
 Chromosome aberration, cancer mortality and hormetic phenomena among
inhabitants in areas of high background radiation in China.
Journal of Radiation Research, 1991 Dec, 32 Suppl 2:46-53.

Matanoski,G.M.
 Health effects of low level radiation in shipyard workers.
E 1.99 DOE/EV/10095-T1 and T2, DOE Wasdhington, 1991

Shimizu,Y.; Kato,H.; Schull,W.J.; Mabuchi,R.
 Dose response analysis among atomic-bomb survivors exposed to low-level
radiation.
pp 71-74 in Sugahara,T.; Sagan,L.A.;Aoyama,T., eds, Low Dose Irradiation and
Biological Defense Mechanisms, Excerpta Medica, New York, 1992

Kendall,G.M.; Muirhead,C.R.; MacGibbon,B.H.; et al.
 Mortality and occupational exposure to radiation; first analysis of the
National Registry for Radiation Workers.
Brit. Med. J. 304:220, 1992

Cohen,B.L.
 Test of the linear no threshold theory of radiation carcinogenesis.
ICSE Conference, Paris, 1993

I have no wish to debate any of this, so I'll just end with a quotation.

"...it doesn't matter how beautiful your theory is, it doesn't matter
how smart you are -- if it doesn't agree with experiment, it's wrong."
- R.P. Feynman

Best wishes to all,
Wade Patterson