As believed widely, radiation causes damage to the living cells. Who doesn’t know the harmful effects caused to the people of Japan after Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings? Even today, the whole world is worrying about post effect of the Japan’s earthquake. Medical science does also believe that excessive ionizing radiation causes damage to cells and tissues while equally reducing the immunity of the human body. Research claims that radiation is a great threat. But recently, some studies have proven otherwise.
First of all, it is imperative to know the type of radiation. Radiation exists in varied forms; it can be in the form of sunlight and other terrestrial radiation as well. It is also produced in X-ray tubes, which are used to take radiographs. It was always believed that when you take in radiation at high doses, your biological cellular activity will be effected but in 1990. M.Mine and his team who conducted research in Japan published a paper where they showed how the radiation doses have helped in improving the longevity of human life apparently. They conducted this research involving roughly 80,000 people from Japan. All of them had been exposed to radiation. The study analyzed and co-related the data between doses of radiation with the link to death rates.
It was expected that those, who had received higher doses of radiation would have a shorter lifespan but after the studies it was found that the survivors who were the healthiest, had received a higher dose of radiation in a shorter time. When compared this dose of radiation to that which Japanese is facing now in the after math of earthquakes, tsunami and radiation release, it was found that those healthiest survivors had received 109 times the current doses of radiation.
As predicted by previous theories which assume that higher doses of radiation cause shorter life; this study proves that the theories are invalid and incorrect. As the US govt. relies on this theory to calculate the radiation hazards, it puts a lot of findings and accusations in completely different perspective.
Death Rates of A-Bomb Survivors In Hiroshima and Nagasaki (1950 to 1985)
Another scientist, T.D.Luckey had conducted a few experiments in 1980 and found that many lower forms of organisms prospered rather than being killed when exposed to higher doses of radiation. Even though that these species apparent to be unfit to receive such an amount of radiation. This was explained by the fact that this higher radiation increased the production of lymphocytes in the human body which helped to increase the immunity of living cells thus enhancing life and its quality rather than reducing it.
All these studied led to an in-depth interest and research into the concept of “ hormesis” which believes that anything produced in higher doses may be harmful but in moderately higher than normal, it actually causes more good than harm. A very common example would be of sunlight, which is essential for us so that vitamin D is produced in the body. If we do not take in sunlight through the skin pores, we might suffer from vitamin D deficiency and pallor but at the same time, excessive sunlight causes skin burns and melanin pigmentation too.
Typical Hormesis Curve
When thses studies were conducted later on, to find out the beneficial effects of radiation on humans it was found that mice, who received slightly higher dose of radiation lived longer than others. But what was most surprising was the effect of radiation on humans. The study was specifically conducted on workers in a nuclear power plant who were constantly exposed to high doses of radiation, and it was found that these people had lesser cancer mortality and greater longevity of life.
After that, the same study was conducted keeping in mind the low radiation dose received by the shipyard workers. A study conducted at John Hopkins University in the department of epidemiology. Two groups were taken into consideration. One group of workers who had worked on nuclear ships and other group compromised of workers on non-nuclear vessels. The study found that those who were considered to be in the high risk category did not die. Yet, earlier theories expected them to die earlier.
Next study was conducted on women with breast cancer and co-relation of the same with the amount of radiations received. Some women were given radiation while they were facing away and others facing the front side received direct source of radiation. It was found that women who received radiation facing the front got around 25 times more radiation but the mortality rate was lesser than what was expected, again disproving the theory as shown by earlier studies.
Incidence of Breast Cancer Death Following Fluoroscopic Examination
Previous mathematical models were proven wrong and the theoretical studies did not agree to the practical realities as seen. These new findings weren’t universally accepted. These new studies were conducted, some even published but all was lost in the midst of the earlier theories had already been accepted as a universal truth. It is said that people don’t like to accept their mistakes. These studies which had such a wide impact on the earlier theories, could change the taken for granted belief, so the findings were taken as a threat and were not given their due importance.
Here the radiation was used as a vaccine, people who were exposure to slightly higher doses of radiation experienced an improved immunity. Professor Bernie Cohen who is also known as a “risk analyst” also disproved the LNT theory and employed the same in his personal life. Even when you talk of recent Japan’s catastrophe, the natural calamities of the earthquake and tsunami were not given as much importance as the nuclear radiation leak. However, it is ironical to note that nuclear leak did not cause a single death, whereas the earthquake that took so many lives was hardly expressed on the news in comparison to the nuclear radiation leak.
Even later, many studies were conducted on the same topic. Slowly, and gradually the data collected is suggesting that high radiation dose was indeed harmful but moderately high doses was considered more a boon than a bane since it increased the resistance as well as immunity of people towards cancer.
Effect of Residential Radon Level on Lung Cancer
It is imperative to understand that nuclear power should not be only cursed. It has much more to offer than currently being utilized such as nuclear medicine. We certainly believe that nuclear power will indeed pave the way as a future source of energy.
Source: The New American
Gerontology,
Health And Aging,
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© Jimmy Eriksson for Anti Aging and Human Immortality News, 2011. |
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