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Small doses of radiation could be good for you?

  • 25-04-2007 8:16am
    #1
    daveg
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,683 ✭✭✭


    I watched this programme the other night:

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2006/07_july/11/horizon.shtml

    Before I say anymore I'm not saying I agree with what it said, nor am I trying to trivealise what happened to those who suffered the Chernobyl disaster.

    The programme basically puts forward the theory that small doses of radiation is not bad for you and may even protect against cancer by stimulating the body's natural cancer defenses (not my theory - theirs). Natural background radiation increases as you increase in altitude. They showed a massive increase in natural background radiation at 35,000 feet compared to sea level. No increase in cancer illnesses have been found in those working in the air industry (pilots etc). Also a map of the US was illustrated showing the levels of cancer thought the USA. This was then plotted against those living at higher altitudes, and was this was expected to show those who live at higher altitudes = higher cancer risk, however what was actually found was the reverse!

    The highest concentration of natural background radiation is tens or even hundreds of times higher than in the Chernobyl exclusion zone, and this occurs somewhere in Iran, yet studies have shown those living there have a very very low occurrence of cancer.

    The documentary focused on the Chernobyl disaster. In the aftermath of Chernobyl experts predicted tens of thousands of deaths from cancer. Yet, when the authoritative UN Chernobyl Forum report - compiled by scientists from organisations such as the WHO - was published late last year it put the total death toll from the accident at just 59, and there has been no significant increase in Leukemia or cancer realted deaths.


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