Talking Back: Radiation promotes better health
John R. Cameron
A recent editorial in The Gainesville Sun ("The long, long wait," Feb. 18, 2000) lamented the lack of a scientific solution to the nuclear waste problem. The scientific solution was found years ago, but has never been publicized. The small amount of radiation to the public from nuclear waste will improve their health. However, there is no obvious solution to the political problem of "not in my back yard." There is no health risk in storing nuclear power waste in dry cask storage, as is done at the Northern States Power nuclear plant in Minnesota. The radiation exposure to the public in a year is less than you get in one jet flight.
The recent statement of health damage to early nuclear workers by Secretary Richardson of the Department of Energy (DOE) was not based on facts. He gave no data and quoted no studies. He did not mention a $10 million unpublished DOE study of nuclear shipyard workers -- probably the best study of radiation workers ever done. It showed that radiation was beneficial to the health of nuclear shipyard workers. Radiation not only reduced the incidence of cancer, but also reduced death from other causes.
The study is described in DOE report DE-AC02-79 EV10095, 1991: "Health effects of low-level radiation in shipyard workers" by professor G.M. Matanoski of the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health in Baltimore, Md. The health of about 30,000 nuclear workers with the largest lifetime radiation doses was compared to the health of 33,000 non-nuclear workers with the same ages and jobs. I was a member of the Technical Advisory Panel (TAP) that met regularly to review the progress of the study. The chair of TAP was the distinguished radiation scientist, Professor Arthur Upton. The study was completed in 1987. TAP members approved the final report in early 1988. However, the final report was not submitted until late 1991. No reason was given for the delay. Nuclear shipyard workers had a significantly lower cancer death rate than non-nuclear workers and much better general health. The death rate from all causes of the nuclear workers was an amazing 24 percent (16 standard deviations) lower than the death rate from all causes of the non-nuclear workers. This improved health was probably due to stimulation of the immune system by the increased radiation.
Health improvement from increased radiation has been known since1974. Dr. Norman Frigerio at the Argonne National Laboratory near Chicago (a DOE facility) published a study showing that states with high natural background radiation -- comparable to the increased dose to a nuclear worker -- had a 15 percent lower cancer death rate than the average for all states.
Scientific evidence for improved health from the high natural radiation was also shown in a recent study. (See "Natural Background Radiation and Cancer Death in Rocky Mountain and Gulf Coast States," by John Agger in Health Physics, Oct. 1998.) The cancer death rates in three mountain states with high natural radiation were compared to the cancer death rates in three gulf states with only one-third the natural radiation. The cancer death rate was about 25 percent lower in the mountain states. I suggest the increased cancer death rate in the gulf states is due to radiation deficiency.
The DOE should sponsor a study of health benefits from increased radiation. It would be easy to increase the background radiation by placing sacks of uranium ore under the bed. The control group would have sacks of ordinary sand. The radiation level of the exposed group would be well below the level known to cause cancer. I would be happy to volunteer for the study. I believe that in another generation, radioactive waste will be incorporated into building materials in the gulf states to increase the background radiation. This would be similar to the added vitamin D in many foods and added iodine in our salt.
John R. Cameron is a Professor Emeritus of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a visiting professor at the University of Florida's departments of Radiation Oncology & Physics. John R. Cameron 2678 SW 14th Drive, Gainesville, FL 32608-2050 jrcamero@facstaff.wisc.edu 352/371-9865; FAX 352/371-9866
The RADSAFE Frequently Asked Questions list, archives and subscription information can be accessed at http://www.ehs.uiuc.edu/~rad/radsafe.html
Return to:
Last updated on 03/02/00