This book reevaluates the health risks of ionizing radiation in light of data that have become available since the 1980 report on this subject was published. The data include new, much more reliable dose estimates for the A-bomb survivors, the results of an additional 14 years of follow-up of the survivors for cancer mortality, recent results of follow-up studies of persons irradiated for medical purposes, and results of relevant experiments with laboratory animals and cultured cells. It analyzes the data in terms of risk estimates for specific organs in relation to dose and time after exposure, and compares radiation effects between Japanese and Western populations.

Contents

• COMMITTEE ON THE BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF IONIZING RADIATIONS
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Executive Summary
  • Introduction
  • Risk Assessment
  • Structure of the Report
  • Summary and Conclusions
  • Recommendations
• 1. Background Information and Scientific Principles
  • Physics and Dosimetry of Ionizing Radiation
  • Population Exposure to Ionizing Radiation in the United States
  • Radiobiological Concepts
  • Effects of Radiation on Genes and Chromosomes
  • Internally Deposited Radionuclides: Special Considerations
  • Use of Animal Studies
  • Epidemiological Studies: Special Considerations
  • Risk Assessment Methodology
  • References
• 2. Genetic Effects of Radiation
  • Introduction
  • Summary of Conclusions
  • Methods of Risk Calculation
  • Previous Estimates of Human Doubling Dose
  • Calculation of Risk Estimates
  • Background Data from Humans
  • Background Data from Mice and Other Mammals
  • References
• 3. Mechanisms of Radiation-Induced Cancer
  • Background
  • Mechanisms
  • Genetics of Cancer
  • Effects of Age, Sex, Smoking, and Other Susceptibility Factors
  • References
• 4. Risks of Cancer—All Sites
  • Introduction
  • Model Fitting
  • Risk Assessment
  • Uncertainty in Point Estimates of Lifetime Risk
  • References
  • Annex 4A Summary of Major Epidemiologic Studies Used in Beir V
  • Annex 4B Changes in the Estimated Dose for A-Bomb Survivors
  • Annex 4C AMFIT
  • Annex 4D The Committee's Analysis of A-bomb Survivor Data
  • Annex 4E Modeling Breast Cancer
  • Annex 4F Uncertainty, Probability of Causation, and Diagnostics
  • Annex 4G The Beir IV Committee's Model and Risk Estimates for Lung Cancer Due to Radon Progeny
• 5. Radiogenic Cancer at Specific Sites
  • Leukemia
  • Breast
  • Lung
  • Stomach
  • Thyroid
  • Esophagus
  • Small Intestine
  • Colon and Rectum
  • Liver
  • Skeleton
  • Brain and Nervous System
  • Ovary
  • Uterus
  • Testis
  • Prostate
  • Urinary Tract
  • Parathyroid Glands
  • Nasal Cavity and Sinuses
  • Skin
  • Lymphoma and Multiple Myeloma
  • Pharynx, Hypopharynx, and Larynx
  • Salivary Glands
  • Pancreas
  • References
• 6. Other Somatic and Fetal Effects
  • Cancer in Childhood Following Exposure in Utero
  • Effects on Growth and Development
  • Cataract of the Eye Lens
  • Life Shortening
  • Fertility and Sterility
  • References
• 7. Low Dose Epidemiologic Studies
  • Introduction
  • Diagnostic Radiography: Adult-Onset Myeloid Leukemia
  • Fallout from Nuclear Weapons Testing
  • Cancer Among Individuals Near Nuclear Installations
  • Epidemiologic Studies of Workers Exposed to Low Dose, Low-LET Radiation
  • High Natural Background Radiation
  • References
• Glossary

The study summarized in this report was supported by the Oak Ridge Associated Universities, acting for the Office of Science and Technology Policy's Committee on Interagency Radiation Research and Policy Coordination (CIRRPC) under Purchase Order No. C-43892.

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.

This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors according to procedures approved by a Report Review Committee consisting of members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Frank Press is president of the National Academy of Sciences.

The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Robert M. White is president of the National Academy of Engineering.

The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Samuel O. Thier is president of the Institute of Medicine.

The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy's purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Frank Press and Dr. Robert M. White are chairman and vice chairman, respectively, of the National Research Council.