Re: Genetic Effects of Radiation

["USHINO, TOSH" <ushinot@songs.sce.com>]

Susan Mcelrath wrote:

>In the most recent National Geographic there is an article on the 
>A-bombings in Japan. It was interesting to note that the article said (my 
>paraphrase) A-bomb survivors were discriminated against occupationally (bad 
>health, risk of cancer) and "socially" due to the fear of genetic effects 
>in offspring if a spouse is an A-bomb survivor. The article even went on to 
>say families of engaged couples sometimes hired private investigators to 
>find out if their future in-laws were A-bomb survivors.
>
>I wonder if the populations studied for genetic effects of ionizing 
>radiation were smaller than normal because A-bomb survivors didn't produce 
>offspring at a normal rate - not because of physical damage, but because 
>they couldn't find a willing mate. I don't see the issue specifically 
>addressed in BEIR V. (If it is and I missed it please enlighten me.) Could 
>it be there were only a few isolated incidents of "social" discrimination 
>so it wasn't a significant factor?, or is this a new twist on the way 
>genetic effects are studied?
     
     I had to do a lot of soul-searching before I decided to respond to 
     Susan.  My father is one of the Hiroshima "hibakusha."  He was a cadet 
     in Imperial Navy Officer School (like Annapolis). He was lucky he did 
     not receive disfiguring injury.  His friend standing next to him 
     facing toward the blast was not so lucky.  My father is not a 
     registered survivor, not because he feared discrimination, but because 
     he did not want to be a statistic and be "pestered" by researchers.... 
     he wanted anonymity.  When he married my mother, everyone know he was 
     in Hiroshima.  
     
     The National Geographic article intimated that private investigators were 
     hired solely to findout if the prospective bride or groom was hibakusha. 
     This is not true. It was a common practice then to hire a private 
     investigator to check the background and the family of future in-laws, 
     not just because of the bomb.  This practice continues to some extent 
     today, particularly in well-to-do families.  What bothered my maternal 
     grandfather most was not that my father was hibakusha, but that my 
     mother's family was samurai class and my father's family was peasant 
     class.  Today, my 73 year old father is very healthy for man of his age, 
     and my brothers and I are normal (some of my friends and coworkers may 
     beg to differ on this point).
     
     I'm certain that lot of survivors, particularly those with disfiguring 
     injuries, had a hard time finding a mate, if at all.  But my impression 
     and my wife's recollection (my wife is from Hiroshima) was that 
     eventually most of them had been able to get married and raise a family. 
     
     I've been asked if my father is opposed to my chosen career.  The 
     answer is not at all. In war, people, combatants and civilians alike, 
     die horrible death.  Such is the nature of war.  In his view, the fact 
     that nuclear weapon was used does not make it more or less humane.
     
     I've already wasted lot of your time.  If anyone wants to ask me specific 
     questions, please contact me privately.
     
     Tosh Ushino
     ushinot@songs.sce.com