Radiation health effect

Most of the data on radiation health effects have come from medical monitoring of Japanese atomic bomb survivors. For survivors who received radiation exposures up to 0.10 Sv, the iacidence of cancer is no greater than ia the geaeral populatioa of Japanese citizens. For the approximately 1000 survivors who received the highest radiation doses, ie, >2 Sv, there have been 162 cases of cancer. About 70 cases would have been expected ia that populatioa from aatural causes. Of the approximately 76,000 survivors, as of 1995 there have beea a total of about 6,000 cases of cancer, only about 340 more cases than would be expected ia a group of 76,000 Japanese citizens who received only background radiation exposure (59). 

Sv - Sievert radiation health effects (IJ/kg tissue) equivalent to ICX) REM. system - A collection of components to perform a purpose. 

NAS/NRC (1990). National Academy of Sciences/National Research Council Committee on the Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiations. Health Effects of Exposure to Low Levels of Ionizing Radiation, BEIR V (National Acad emy Press, Washington). 

The Study concluded that there will be no radiation health effects which could be either medically diagnosed in an individual or epidemiologically discerned in a group of people and which would be attributable to the estimated radiation doses that are now being received or that would be received in the future by people as a result of the residual radioactive material at Mururoa and Fangataufa atolls. 

AGNIR, (2003). Report of an Advisory Group on Non-Ionising Radiation. Health effects from radio-frequency... 

Pollycove, M. (1998). Nonlinearity of radiation health effects. Environ Health Perspect 106(Suppl 1), 363-368. 

Similar commercial radiation instruments are available, including those sensitive enough to detect alpha radiation. Health effects of exposure to radiation can vary (see Figure 9.9). Nonionizing radiation comes from ultraviolet and infrared energy waves. This type of radiation causes a sunburn type of injury. This is not a major concern for hazardous materials responders. Ionization damage occurs at the cellular level. Four types of short-term effects on the cells can occur ... 

Where can I get more information about radiation, radiation health effects and emergency response ... 

The above examples are just a few of the many studies that have shown that radiation health effects demonstrate a hormetic effect, a characteristic of most pharmaceuticals and even to many foods. Hormesis is the concept that large doses of a substance may be detrimental to health, but small doses are beneficial. The evidence for this knowledge was effectively presented in a text published in 1980, titled Radiation Hormesis, by Dr. T.D. Luckey, and in 1991 followed by the second edition [7]. This text included over 1000 references of data on radiation hormesis. 

Oak Ridge Associated Universities Panel for the Committee on Interagency Radiation Research and PoHcy Coordination, Health Effects ofEow Frequemy Electric and Magnetic Fields, Washington, D.C., June 1992. 

For radiation doses <0.5 Sv, there is no clinically observable iacrease ia the number of cancers above those that occur naturally (57). There are two risk hypotheses the linear and the nonlinear. The former implies that as the radiation dose decreases, the risk of cancer goes down at roughly the same rate. The latter suggests that risk of cancer actually falls much faster as radiation exposure declines. Because risk of cancer and other health effects is quite low at low radiation doses, the iacidence of cancer cannot clearly be ascribed to occupational radiation exposure. Thus, the regulations have adopted the more conservative or restrictive approach, ie, the linear hypothesis. Whereas nuclear iadustry workers are allowed to receive up to 0.05 Sv/yr, the ALARA practices result ia much lower actual radiatioa exposure. 

Health Effects Of Exposure to Row Revels oflonifing Radiation, Report of Committee on the Biological Effects of Radiation (BEIR Report V), National... 

Whilst the causative agent(s) have not been established it is thought to be multifunctional and possibilities include physical factors (humidity, temperature, lighting), static electricity, electromagnetic radiation, air ion concentrations, fungi, noise, psychological stress, and chemicals. Chemicals which are not those involved in the normal work processes can become trapped within the building, albeit at concentrations below those known to cause ill-health effects, if ... 

Cross-comparing the risks of various activities is difficult because of the lack of a common basis of comparison, however Cohen and Lee, 1979 provide such a comparison on the basis of loss of life expectancy. Solomon and Abraham, 1979 used an index of harm in a study of 6 occupational harms - three radiological and three nonradiological to bracket high and low estimates of radiological effects. The index of harm consists of a weighting factor for parametric study the lost time in an industry and the worker population at risk. The conclusions were that the data are too imprecise for firm conclusions but it is possible for a radiation worker under pessimistic health effects assumptions to have as high index of harm as the other industries compared. 

In terms of health effects, none of the evacuees from the 30 km radius evacuation zone displayed any symptoms of radiation sickness. Their collective dose from external exposure wa.s estimated to be 1.5... 

Around the beginning of this century, cancer and illness was associated with excessive use of X-rays. Watch dial painters got mouth cancer from radium in the paint. It soon was realized that radiation has health effects. The measures of energy deposition concepts introduced... 

At first PNL focused on nuclear technology and the environmental and health effects of radiation, but through the years expanded its mission to cover nearly every field of basic science to solve problems in the areas of environment, energy, and national security. Environmental issues and cleanup still encompass two-thirds of PNL work in the 1990s, but PNL has strengthened its role in regional electric power issues as well. 

Atmospheric aerosols have a direct impact on earth s radiation balance, fog formation and cloud physics, and visibility degradation as well as human health effect[l]. Both natural and anthropogenic sources contribute to the formation of ambient aerosol, which are composed mostly of sulfates, nitrates and ammoniums in either pure or mixed forms[2]. These inorganic salt aerosols are hygroscopic by nature and exhibit the properties of deliquescence and efflorescence in humid air. That is, relative humidity(RH) history and chemical composition determine whether atmospheric aerosols are liquid or solid. Aerosol physical state affects climate and environmental phenomena such as radiative transfer, visibility, and heterogeneous chemistry. Here we present a mathematical model that considers the relative humidity history and chemical composition dependence of deliquescence and efflorescence for describing the dynamic and transport behavior of ambient aerosols[3]. 

The nuclear explosions that devastated Hiroshima and Nagasaki killed 100,000 to 200,000 people instantaneously. Probably an equal number died later, victims of the radiation released in those explosions. Millions of people were exposed to the radioactivity released by the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. The full health effects of that accident may never be known, but 31 people died of radiation sickness within a few weeks of the accident, and more than 2000 people have developed thyroid cancer through exposure to radioactive iodine released in the accident. Even low levels of radiation can cause health problems. For this reason, workers in facilities that use radioisotopes monitor their exposure to radiation continually, and they must be rotated to other duties if their total exposure exceeds prescribed levels. 

Individual ability to tolerate radiation damage varies, so a statistical variation exists in the relationship between dose level and health effects. Also, there are effective treatments, such as blood transfusions, for some radiation effects. The statistical patterns of human response to radiation are summarized in Table 22-5. Doses of over 600 rem are almost always fatal. 

One way to see if a chemical will hurt people is to learn how the chemical is absorbed, used, and released by the body. In the case of a radioactive chemical, it is also important to gather information concerning the radiation dose and dose rate to the body. For some chemicals, animal testing may be necessary. Animal testing may also be used to identify health effects such as cancer or birth defects. Without laboratory animals, scientists would lose a basic method to get information needed to make wise decisions to protect public health. Scientists have the responsibility to treat research animals with care and compassion. Laws today protect the welfare of research animals, and scientists must comply with strict animal care guidelines. 

The radiation from exposure to americium is the primary cause of adverse health effects from absorbed americium. Upon entering the body by any route of exposure, americium moves relatively rapidly through the body and is concentrated in bones where it remains for a long time. While in the bone, americium atoms decay, releasing alpha particles and gamma-rays. Alpha... 

Epidemiological and Human Dosimetry Studies. Epidemiological studies of radiation dose typically involve estimates of exposure that are based on whole-body measurements of internally-deposited americium. A need remains for epidemiological data that can provide quantitative human dose-response information while supplying additional information on the health effects of exposure to ionizing radiation and americium in particular, for cases of known internal exposure. 

Understanding the basic concepts in radiation physics, chemistry, and biology is important to the evaluation and interpretation of radiation-induced adverse health effects and to the derivation of radiation protection principles. This appendix presents a brief overview of the areas of radiation physics, chemistry, and biology and is based to a large extent on the reviews of Mcttler and Moseley (1985), Hobbs and McClellan (1986), Eichholz (1982), Hendee (1973), Cember (1996), and Early et al. (1979). 

BEIRV. 1988. Health effects of exposure to low levels of ionizing radiation. Committee on the Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiations, National Research Council. Washington, DC National Academy Press. 

Kondo S. 1993. Health effects of low-level radiation. Kinki University Press, Osaka, Japan (available from Medical Physics Publishing, Madison, Wisconsin). 

It should be noted that there is intense controversy as to the health effects of radiation doses below about 100 mSv per year. This estimate of 15,000 annual cancer deaths from indoor radon, as well as estimates of tens of thousands of eventual cancer deaths from Chernobyl exposures, is obtained by applying the linearity hypothesis. This hypothesis has been adopted by most regulatory agencies but is strongly contested by some scientists who believe it overestimates the effects of radiation at low dose levels. Of course, if calculations based on this hypothesis overestimate the deaths from indoor radon, they also overestimate the effects of potential radiation from a waste repository. 

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