ANS National
 Meetings/
 Sessions

November 1995

T. D. Luckey

(Oralu Corp)

5. Radiation Hormesis: Radioactive Waste for Health

      "Hormesis is the stimulation of any system by low doses of any agent. The hormesis model is particularly applicable to radioactive waste management. Radiation hormesis encompasses the beneficial effects of low-dose irradiation in both animals and humans.¹ The radiation hormesis model comprises statistically significant (X² test) results that compare total death rates and cancer death rates in exposed and unexposed nuclear workers.² The usual 'healthy worker effect' is negated because both groups were in the same plants. These data invalidate all linear (no-threshold) models. This dramatic change in concepts about the effects of low-dose irradiation transforms problems about radioactive waste into solutions for improved health.

                "Total deaths were 24% lower in 28 542 nuclear shipyard workers exposed to >5 mSv (lifetime dose) than in 33 352 unexposed and minimally exposed workers³ Obviously, recommendations to lower background radiation to levels which are as low as reasonably attainable (ALARA) are counterproductive to health. The data suggest that if background exposures were safely increased to that of frequent fliers (Table I), the United States would have ~10 000 fewer premature deaths each week (260 million people x 0.85% death rate yr^-1 x 0.24 = 530000 fewer deaths per year).

                "The importance of radiation hormesis was amply confirmed by comparing cancer death rates in exposed (a lifetime dose >7 cSv) and unexposed nuclear workers (Table II). These results based on observations of almost 8 million person-yr show that low-dose irradiation will decrease cancer mortality rates. The decreased cancer mortality rate following low-dose irradiation has been attributed to increased immune competence.⁸
 

                "Several populations have lived for many generations in areas with unusually high natural background radiation¹ (Table I). These populations have no unusual health problems. This concept is validated by the inverse correlation between radon in homes and lung cancer mortality rates for 1600 of the most populous counties of the United States⁹ (Fig. 1). The inverse correlation shows radon is not a major cause of lung cancer deaths.

                "Use of the hormesis model would greatly reduce the cost of radioactive waste cleanup.¹⁰ The amount removed would be reduced. Also, radioactive waste could be used to safely double our non-medical level of background radiation (Table I). This would decrease both cancer mortality and premature total death rates. Savings from radioactive waste management, industry sick leaves, premature deaths, and national health care should be used for (a) research on low-dose irradiation and (b) training health physicists, nurses, and physicians in the techniques of radiation supplementation. Our national wealth would be increased by allowing industrial workers 26 mGy/yr. This exposure is equivalent to that of healthy populations in other parts of the world (Table I) and considerably less than the suggested optimum."

1. T. D. LUCKEY, Radiation Hormesis, CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida (1991); see also Hormesis with Ionizing Radiation, CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida (1980).

2. T. D. LUCKEY, "Radiation Hormesis in Cancer Mortality," Int. J. Occup. Med. Toxicol., 3, 175 (1994).

3. G. M. MATANOSKI, "Health Effects of Low-Level Radiation in Shipyard Workers," U.S. Department of Energy (1991).

4. G.M. MATANOSKI, "Cancer Risks in Radiologists and Radiation Workers," Radiation Carcinogenesis: Epidemiology and Biological Significance, Progress in Cancer Research and Therapy, Vol. 26, p. 83, J. D. BOICE, J. F. FRAUMENI, Eds., Raven Press, New York (1984).

5. E. S. GILBERT, S. A. FRY,  L.D.  WIGGS, C.L. VOELZ, D.L. CRAGLE, G. R. PETERSEN, "Analysis of Combined Mortality Data of Workers at the Hanford Site, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons Plant," Radiat. Res., 120, 19 (1989).

6. J. D. ABBATT, T. R. HAMILTON, J. D. WEEKS, "Epidemiological Studies in Three Corporations Covering the Nuclear Fuel Cycle, Biological Effects of Low Level Radiation IAEA-STI/PUB 646, p. 351, International Atomic Energy Agency (1983).

7. G. M. KENDALL, C. R. MUIRHEAD, B. H. MACGIBBON, et al., "Mortality and Occupational Exposure to Radiation: First Analysis by the National Registry for     Radiation Workers," Brit. Med. J., 104, 220 (1992).

8. S.-Z. LIU, "Multilevel Mechanisms of Stimulatory Effect of Low Dose Radiation on Immunity Low Dose Irradiation and Biological Defense Mechanisms, p. 225, T. SUGAHARA, L. A. SAGAN, T. AOYAMA, Eds., Excerpta Medica, Amsterdam (1992).

9. B. L. COHEN, "Compilation and Integration of Studies of Radon Levels in U.S. Homes by State and Counties," Crit. Rev. Environment/Control, 22, 243 (1992).

10. T. D. LUCKEY, "Radioactive Waste Management for Health," Rad. Protect. Manage., 12, 53 (1995).