The full text of the following US Department of Energy publication is available at:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1533294/
Environ Health Perspect. 1998 February; 106(Suppl 1): 383–385.
PMCID: PMC1533294
Copyright notice
Research Article
Low-level exposures: some implications for the U.S. Department of Energy.
J R Beall
Office of Health and Environmental Research, U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, DC, USA. jbeall@fred.net
Abstract
The U.S. Department of Energy (U.S. DOE) maintains several programs to study and understand the health and environmental effects of exposure to low levels of energy-related agents. These programs include research to understand the mechanisms of action of agents of concern and to assess the risks associated with exposures of people and ecological systems to these agents. They also include implementing appropriate occupational safety and health standards and remediating waste sites to environmental standards. These programs require that the U.S. DOE pursue a realistic understanding of the effects of exposures to small amounts of energy-related agents. The largest of these programs involves hazardous waste remediation and includes potentially harmful exposures to low levels of numerous agents. The U.S. DOE conducts research to establish the scientific bases for the realistic assessment of risks of exposure to such wastes. As part of the U.S. DOE efforts to understand the risks of low-level exposures to hazardous waste, the Office of Health and Environmental Research and the Office of Environmental Management recently launched a broad cooperative program. It is comprised of research projects in nine general scientific areas and includes research on the health impacts and risk estimation of exposure to low levels of hazardous wastes. Projects for this new cooperative research program were selected from 610 applications and totaled approximately $47 million in fiscal year 1996.
This program marks a new approach by using basic research to reduce cleanup costs and to develop scientific foundations for advances in environmental technologies. The research will also examine the effects of exposure to low levels of chemical and radiological wastes.
end quote.
RADIATION RESEARCH 162, 447–452 (2004)
0033-7587/04 $15.00
copyright 2004 by Radiation Research Society.
All rights of reproduction in any form reserved.
The Linear No-Threshold Model does not Hold for Low-Dose Ionizing Radiation
Antony M. Hooker,a Madhava Bhat,b Tanya K. Day,a Joanne M. Lane,a Sarah J. Swinburne,a Alexander A. Morleya and Pamela J. Sykesa,1
a Department of Haematology and Genetic Pathology, Flinders University and Flinders Medical Centre, Australia; and b Department of Medical
Physics, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, Australia
Hooker, A. M., Bhat, M., Day, T. K., Lane, J. M., Swinburne,
S. J., Morley, A. A. and Sykes, P. J. The Linear No-
Threshold Model does not Hold for Low-Dose Ionizing Radiation.
Radiat. Res. 162, 447–452 (2004).
Abstract:
“Almost all of the data on the biological effects of ionizing
radiation come from studies of high doses. However, the human
population is unlikely to be exposed to such doses. Regulatory
limits for radiation exposure are based on the linear
no-threshold model, which predicts that the relationship between
biological effects and radiation dose is linear, and that
any dose has some effect. Chromosomal changes are an important
effect of ionizing radiation because of their role in
carcinogenesis. Here we exposed pKZ1 mice to single wholebody
X-radiation doses as low as 1 mGy. We observed three
different phases of response: (1) an induction of inversions at
ultra-low doses, (2) a reduction below endogenous inversion
frequency at low doses, and (3) an induction of inversions
again at higher doses. These results do not fit a linear nothreshold
model, and they may have implications for the way
in which regulatory standards are presently set and for understanding
radiation effects. copyright 2004 by Radiation Research Society”
“This research was funded by the Low Dose Radiation Research Program,
Biological and Environmental Research (BER), U.S. Department
of Energy, grant no. DE-FG02-01ER63227. ..”
Received: March 11, 2004; accepted: May 6, 2004
The findings are used by B. Scott of Los Alamos National Labs to justify the position that exposures from Radon and contaminated sites are “beneficial” (see previous posts).
Is so, why “waste” (Scott) “Trillions” (Scott) cleaning up contaminated sites?
” This program marks a new approach by using basic research to reduce cleanup costs ” : Low-level exposures: some implications for the U.S. Department of Energy.
J R Beall
A good investment?
Despite whatever the Flinders University of South Australia might think, the work is demonstrably “Dual Use” within the terms of the ACHRE findings.
http://www.flinders.edu.au/
“Since the Department of Interior will retain the ultimate land management for all
of the public lands encompassing the Range, they, as well as the Air Force should be
consulted concerning the proposal to potentially disperse more than 1.5 tons of Depleted
Uranium (DU) and up to 100 pounds of Beryllium on the public lands encompassing the
Range.” (Source: Paul J. Liebendorfer, P.E. Bureau of Federal Facilities, State of Nevada,
Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Division of Environmental Protection
333 W. Nye Lane, Room 138 Carson City, Nevada 89706-0851, Letter dated July 12 1999 to
Mr. George Laskar Assistant Area Manager Department of Energy, Albuquerque Operations
office P. O. Box 5400 Albuquerque, NM 87185 http://ndep.nv.gov/boff/ndep10.htm)
And:
“Soils Project
Soils Project analyzes contaminated surface and shallow subsurface soils on the Nevada Test
Site and the Nellis Test and Training Range, including the Tonopah Test Range.
Contamination at these sites is the result of historic nuclear detonations, weapons safety
experiments, rocket engine development, and hydronuclear tests.
The contaminants of concern are primarily americium, plutonium, depleted uranium, and
other man-made radioactive materials. In addition, there are sites where metals may be
present above regulatory limits. The U.S. Department of Energy Nevada Site Office is
working closely with the U.S. Air Force and the State of Nevada to determine what corrective
actions may be necessary.” (Source: US Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security
Administration, U.S. DOE/NNSA – Nevada Site Office Environment Management
http://www.nv.doe.gov/emprograms/environment/restoration/soils.htm).
Say no to unremdiated Superfund contamination sites. Say no to no cleanup DU firing ranges.
See also the Findings of the ACHRE Committee in regard to ethics and informed consent:
http://www.hss.energy.gov/healthsafety/ohre/roadmap/achre/index.html
ACHRE Report, Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiments.
“On January 15, 1994, President Clinton created the Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiments in response to his concern about the growing number of reports describing possibly unethical conduct of the U.S. government, and institutions funded by the government, in the use of, or exposure to, ionizing radiation in human beings at the height of the Cold War. He directed us to uncover the history of human radiation experiments and intentional environmental releases of radiation; to identify the ethical and scientific standards for evaluating these events; and to make recommendations to ensure that whatever wrongdoing may have occurred in the past cannot be repeated.”
…………………………………………………………………………………………….
While the Flinders University study used mice, it will be people living adjacent to poorly remediated
contamination sites who will be the actual subjects.
Next: Fallon.
