Nightjar wrote:

According to the World Health Organisation:

'The Expert Group concluded that there may be up to 4,000 additional
cancer deaths among the three highest exposed groups over their lifetime
(240,000 liquidators; 116,000 evacuees and the 270,000 residents of the
SCZs). Since more than 120,000 people in these three groups may
eventually die of cancer, the additional cancer deaths from radiation
exposure correspond to 3-4% above the normal incidence of cancers from
all causes.'

Note: This prediction is based upon the LNT model, so may be over
pessimistic.


which the latest evidence shows is completely wrong as a model
describing the real effects of radiations by about 1000 so the final
excess cancer deaths may be 3 or 4.


what IS a fact is that several thousand people did get thyroid cancer
from that town because the ****ing russkies never gave them iodine
pills. But they are all alive and well and taking thyroxin after
thyroidectomies.



The actual number of deaths that can definitely be attributed to
radiation is, however, very much lower:

'According to UNSCEAR (2000), 134 liquidators received radiation doses
high enough to be diagnosed with acute radiation sickness (ARS). Among
them, 28 persons died in 1986 due to ARS. Other liquidators have since
died but their deaths could not necessarily be attributed to radiation
exposure.'


There is some evidence that radiation threpay for cancers leads to a
higher incidence of secondary cancers 15-20 years later. Radiation
therapy is short high intensity bursts rather then steady radiation.

You are more likley to get cancer from a CAT scan than from living in
the FUKU exclusions zone.

Ramsar has around 50 times average background radiation levels. The
people who live there have a slightly lower incidence of cancer than
world averages.

International Journal of Low Radiation 2006 - Vol. 2, No.1/2 pp. 20 - 27

"Abstract:

It has been reported that on reaching a certain level of cell damage the
production of repair enzymes is triggered which decreases the chromosome
aberrations. If this happens, prolonged exposure to high levels of
natural radiation in areas with elevated levels of background radiation
could decrease the frequency of chromosome aberrations. Recent
epidemiological studies indicated that there is an increased risk of
cancer in healthy individuals with high levels of chromosomal aberrations.

Studies performed in Nordic countries as well as Italy, showed that
increased levels of chromosome aberrations in lymphocytes can be used to
predict cancer risk in humans. One may conclude that a dose of ionising
radiation sufficient to produce a certain level of cell damage increases
production of antioxidants and repair enzymes that decrease either the
frequency of chromosome aberrations or the cancer risk.

People in some areas of Ramsar, a city in northern Iran, receive an
annual radiation dose from background radiation that is more than five
times higher than the 20 mSv. Yr-1 that is permitted for radiation
workers. Inhabitants of Ramsar have lived for many generations in these
high background areas.

If an annual radiation dose of a few hundred mSv is detrimental to
health, causing genetic abnormalities or an increased risk of cancer, it
should be evident in these people. The absorbed dose rate in some high
background radiation areas of Ramsar is approximately 55-200 times
higher than that of the average global dose rate. It has been reported
that 3€“8% of all cancers are caused by current levels of ionising
radiation.

If this estimation were true, *all the inhabitants of such an area with
extraordinary elevated levels of natural radiation would have died of
cancer*. Our cytogenetic studies show no significant differences between
people in the high background area compared to people in normal
background areas.

As there was no increased level of chromosome aberrations, it may be
predicted that the cancer incidence is not higher than in the
neighbouring areas with a normal background radiation level. Although
there is not yet solid epidemiological information, most local
physicians in Ramsar report anecdotally that there is no increase in the
incidence rates of cancer or leukemia in their area.

There are no data to indicate a significant increase of cancer incidence
in other high background radiation areas (HBRAs). Furthermore, several
studies show a significant decrease of cancer death rates in areas with
high backgrounds. It can be concluded that prolonged exposure to high
levels of natural radiation possibly triggers processes such as the
production of antioxidants and repair enzymes, which decreases the
frequency of chromosome aberrations and the cancer incidence rate."

Colin Bignell


--
To people who know nothing, anything is possible.
To people who know too much, it is a sad fact
that they know how little is really possible -
and how hard it is to achieve it.