Monday, April 4, 2011

A Note on "Just A Little" Radiation and the Fukushima Nuclear Accident

Although officials have been telling us that the levels of radiation that people are experiencing 50 miles away from the plant are not of concern, it should be taken into consideration what top doctors think when they are taken away from the politically charged nuclear question and asked about low radiation doses.

When it comes to their personal exposure levels, many are a lot more cautious about small radiation doses, than public officials who claim doses received 50 miles out from the Fukushima plant are not a seriuos concern. In the post below, I publish comments, obtained by CNN's Elizabeth Cohen, from top doctors and their views on the small dosages of radiation that people are exposed to via airport scanners. Think of these comments in relation to the people near the damaged Fukushima power plant:

Dr. Karl Bilimoria, a surgical oncology fellow, told Cohen, "I'm a doctor at M.D. Anderson, and I don't want radiation if I can avoid it." M.D. Andreson is one of the top cancer treatment hospitals in the world.


Dr. Len Lichtenfeld  with the the American Cancer Society said, "Total body radiation is not something I find very comforting based on my medical knowledge."
 
"There is really no absolutely safe dose of radiation," says Kim, chair of the department of neurosurgery at the University of Texas Medical School. "Each exposure is additive, and there is no need to incur any extra radiation when there is an alternative."

2 comments:

  1. "There is really no absolutely safe dose of radiation"

    I have a background in physics and more training in this area than the average doctor. While I agree that I would not want a body scan (and this is one of the reasons I am avoiding the US entirely these days), these "no safe dose" statements are only true in the sense that there is no absolutely safe aspect of life in general.
    Our own bodies are radioactive. So is everything around us. Obviously there are safe dosages.

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  2. "Obviously there are safe dosages."

    Well, the point is, TEPCO is exposing everyone to risk on at least some level, but who is getting compensated? Not everyone, that's for sure.

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