might be beneficial genetically because it tends to remove the weaker
members of a population,
10.
The report would have been improved if a Table 3 had been added
giving the estimated genetic damage.
given as 6 x 10. >
cant rem.
to 1.1 x 10°
The overall genetic risk was
genetic mutation/gentically
signifi.
This upper value is greater than the upper value of cancer
risk so the reader should be given the final estimates of genetic
risk,
Gy
The report is in error in stating there are no human exposure
ata at low dose ranges, e.g. studies of in utero exposure and data on
Hanford radiation workers are low dose studies.
12.
The report uses only the linear and linear quadratic models, yet
much of the data on human population exposure conforms best with a
super
linear model (e.g.
effect = c
Wdose).
In other words,
the
cancer coefficients are a power of dose less than unity in a number of
cases or the cancers induced per rem are greater at low doses than at
high
doses
because
of
overkill
at
high
doses,
damage
to
the
reticuloendythelial system, etc.
13
it may not be a good assumption that the cancer risk on these
islands is the same as that in the U.S. because the natural background
radiation here is between 1/3 and 1/2 that in the U.S. and the Hanford
radiation worker data suggest that about half the cancer per year in
the U.S. are the result of natural background radiation.
14.
I question that leukemia is one of the best understood cancers.
The
Lack of leukemia induction by radiation in Olmstead County of
Vv
Minnesota (Linos et al. - New Eng. J. Med. 1111, May 15, 1980) and in
the Hanford worker data (Mancuso, Stewart, and Kneale) suggest that
low
chronic
exposure
to normal population (those not subjected to
fire, blast, disease such an ankylosing spondylitis, etc.) die pre-
ferentially of forms of cancer other than leukemia.
15.
There is a peculiar statement on page 28 to the effect that the
BEIR III relative risk model gives a cancer risk 2 to 4 times the risk
estimates of UNSCEAR 1977 and so it seems reasonable to accept the
linear risk model instead.
16.
U.S.
Why was the life span of these islands chosen as 50 years?
life span is 70 years.
The