Will Japanese Exposed to Low Dose Radiation Live Longer?
Can low dose radiation suffered by those affected by the recent nuclear power plant meltdown, actually cause the body to increase its natural cellular defences and end up prolonging natural life.
Well keeping in mind that we do need to be exposed to bacteria and viruses in order for the immune system to stay strong, like training for maintaining.
Maybe this radiation thing could have a point. One point, maybe... :P
I feel that if one can keep away from germs and the like then one will live longer. Radiation just might help one to stay away from germs and the like by possibly killing them off. Therefore low dose radiation should help one to live longer. Ipso facto. Also any other bug killing substance, if administered in a safe fashion, could do the same thing. So stay cool.
I would like to believe it is true but as I read the article, phrases that kept popping out to me were: "This pre-drawn conclusion, there is now evidence, there is also newly published data, a recent experiment shows...." Why is this data suddenly discovered? Just my 2 cents...
Regulators acknowledge that a prediction like "there will be 62,500 deaths in 10 million people exposed to 500 mrem of radiation" is an assumed risk. It is based on the assumption that "any exposure to ionizing radiation carries with it some risk," as the ALARA (As Low As Reasonably Achievable) regulation puts it. Known and documented health-damaging effects of radiation — radiation sickness, leukemia, and death — are only seen with doses greater than 100 rem. The risk of doses less than 100 rem is a black box into which regulators extend "extrapolated data." There are no valid epidemiologic or experimental data to support linearly extrapolated predictions of cancer resulting from low doses of radiation. (Proponents argue that some studies support this model, but they "capriciously misrepresent" the data in those studies and apply the linear hypothesis in an a priori fashion to make the data fit, ignoring data that does not.)
Contrary to what is perceived to be true, the actual truth is that ionizing radiation in low doses does not cause cancer (or genetic defects). It, in fact, has a beneficial effect on one's health. There are epidemiological studies and scientific data on health effects from low to moderate doses of ionizing radiation that show it decreases the risk of cancer. Government authorities and regulators — including the news media — ignore this data.
Americans are exposed to an average 200 mrem of natural and medical radiation per year. Natural background radiation comes from cosmic rays, isotopes of uranium and thorium in the bricks, plaster, and concrete of buildings, and radioactive potassium. Radioactive potassium in our bodies generates about 25 mrem of radiation per year — more than the EPA safety limit. It comes from potassium-40, a naturally occurring radioactive isotope of potassium. People that suffer from radiophobia and think that they would be better off without that source of radioactivity in their bodies can take comfort in knowing that organisms grown in the laboratory consuming only non-radioactive potassium-39, with no potassium-40 in their diet, develop severe growth defects. The radiation that potassium-40 in our cells provides is vital for our health.
Will Japanese Exposed to Low Dose Radiation Live Longer?
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