RSH Data & Documents

"Low Level
Radiation Health
Effects: Compiling
the Data"

Revision 2
March 30, 1999
by Radiation, Science, and
Health, Inc.,
Edited by J. Muckerheide

1.2.3.1
Practioners

"Evidence supporting the idea of radiation hormesis can be divided into four broad categories: (1) experiments with plants or animals; (2) human occupational comparisons; (3) regional studies; and (4) experiments throwing light on the effect of radiation at the molecular level.

"…(2) In addition to animal experiments, Henry (1961) also carried out a statistical study of the life span of radiologists in the UK and the USA. His working hypothesis was that since radiologists as a group are subject to higher chronic exposure to radiation than any other group of physicians, one could expect on the basis of the radiation paradigm to find higher mortality from cancerous diseases in them than among other physicians. The results ran against such expectations, however, and showed a 10 % lowering of mortality among the radiologists. On the other hand, an earlier study carried out by Warren (1956) had indicated an opposite relationship, while Seltzer and Sartwell (1958) had arrived at conclusions in line with those of Henry."