"Healthy Worker Effect"

["Otto G. Raabe" <ograabe@ucdavis.edu>]

January 30, 1998
Davis, CA

If you are looking for radiation effects in radiation workers, and they
consistently have a lower rate of various diseases than the average person
(or even similar workers in other fields, such as in the Rocketdyne study),
then either you can conclude that a little radiation exposure is beneficial
or that there is some selection process that results in "healthier" people
among radiation workers. The idea is that "radiation workers" are selected
and stay in this work because they are in good health and, further, as a
rule they have good health care as an employee benefit. Hence, the people
called "radiation workers" tend to have lower incidence of various
diseases. This could occur with lower usage of tobacco and alcohol, better
medical care, and better diet than the AVERAGE person in the population.
This is called the "healthy worker effect" among epidemiologists.
Apparently, the Japanese atomic bomb survivors also display the "healthy
worker effect." In that case, it is assumed that the more "sensitive"
persons were less likely to survive the acute biological effects of an
atomic bomb. .....Or maybe a little radiation is beneficial....

Otto
		*****************************************************
		Prof. Otto G. Raabe, Ph.D., CHP
                [President, Health Physics Society, 1997-1998]
		Institute of Toxicology & Environmental Health (ITEH)
		     (Street address: Old Davis Road)
		University of California, Davis, CA 95616
		Phone: 530-752-7754  FAX: 530-758-6140 [NEW AREA CODE]
		E-mail ograabe@ucdavis.edu