Low Dose Study, Part II

[don@radpro.uchicago.edu]

The follow-up paper to the October 1994 Lancet paper has apparently 
appeared in the MAy 1995 issue of Radaiation Research, v. 142, pp. 117-132.

This study re-examined & recomputed data compiled from national studies
in the US, Canada & the UK.  The authors again conclude that "[o]verall, the 
results of this study do not suggest that current radiation risk estimates
for low levels of exposure [to low LET radiation] are appreciably in error."  

I have only perused the article quickly and I suspect it warrants a careful
reading before comment.  I hope that people who read this article will 
contribute their observations to radsafe.

A second paper in the aforementioned volume of Radiation Research that
caught my attention was a letter to the editor describing the availability
of a paper on "...Chronic Radiation Syndrome in Humans Irradiated in the
Former Soviet Union."  It seems that the "Mayak" weapons plant discharged
4,500 Ci [of what?] PER DAY into the Techa River in 1950-1951.  Additionally, 
some workers in the plant were exposed to annual doses of 2.0-4.5 Gy, 
apparently over a considerable period.  
A limited number of copies of the contract report are available from the 
Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute (AFRRI), Publications Division,
Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute (AFRRI) 8901 Wisconsin Avenue, 
Bethesda, MD 20889-5603; tel. (301) 295-2017.  "Qualified users " 
may obtain the report from the Defense Technical Information Center,
Cameron Station, Building 5, Attn. BCR, Alexandria, VA 22304-6145; tel.
(703) 274-7633.  Others may obtain the report from NTIS, 5285 Port Royal Road,
Springfield, VA  22161; tel. (703) 487-4650.  The DTIC/NTIS report accession 
number is A286238. 


 

___________________________________________________________________

Don Jordan                          Tel. (312) 702-6299
Office of Radiation Safety          Fax        702-4008
The University of Chicago           email: don@radpro.uchicago.edu
1101 East 57th Street, Room 11
Chicago, Illinois  60637  
                -- Any opinions are the author's --