Low Level Radiation Health Effects

Scientists have known about radiation for more than 100 years. Almost since its discovery, radiation has caused concern from just about every sector of the populace, especially since the use of nuclear weapons during World War II. While most scientific research indicates that low doses of radiation produce negative health effects, some argue that low-level radiation can benefit people.

• Science believes that low level radiation causes cancer, such as in this patient.

History

• People have been theorizing about the atomic structure of the universe since the ancient Greeks, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Science did not formally recognize radiation until the late 1890s. Wilhem Conrad Roentgen described the radiating properties of X-rays in 1895. In 1896 Henri Becquerel presented the first academic argument for the existence of radiation to the Academy of Sciences in Paris. Soon after, radiation became widely studied.

Difficulties

• The length of time required in researching the effects of low-level radiation on genetic mutation makes establishing any link between the two difficult, claims "Health Effects of Exposure to Low Levels of Ionizing Radiation." Genetic mutation almost always occurs in the offspring of those exposed to low levels of radiation. Thus, it can take quite some time to see the results in an experimental setting. Mutations are also unpredictable and sometimes too small to be readily noticed.

Mutation

• Although the genetic effects of low-level radiation still need more testing, the Commission on Life Sciences believes that it likely causes mutation in human genes based on the observations of animals comparable to humans. These mutations are not necessarily harmful, but the commission has observed that most genetic mutation does not benefit offspring.

Cancer

• Although low-level radiation can cause any number of unpredictable DNA changes, damaged DNA often leads to cancer, claims the Commission on Life Sciences. A study by the Chulabhorn Research Institute in Thailand found that low doses of gamma radiation, such as that found in X-rays, correlated with a higher incidence of DNA damage and chromosome deformities. The study suggested low-level gamma rays may also impair the body's ability to repair damaged DNA.

Criticism

• Some scientists, such as Jerry M. Cuttler of the Canadian Nuclear Society, believe the apprehension to low-level radiation is overblown. Cuttler claims in "Health Effects of Low Level Radiation: When will we acknowledge the reality?" that low doses of radiation actually help fight cancer by triggering a natural immune system response that can handle low doses of radiation. It is large amounts of radiation that lead to a degradation of the body's repair mechanisms and cause cancer, Cuttler claims.