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Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Human M-T Effects

This post is in response to some commenting on YouTube.  "M-T" refers to the mutagenic and teratogenic effects of radiation The last comment was this, with "Chern" referring to Chernobyl:

""Chern has already been studied, no discernable m-t effects. Other species have shown discernible m-t effects at Chern,"

In what way is human biology fundamentally different from other species that humans would show no effect while other mammalian species did?  Please Google and then refute the following:

"Chronic Cs-137 incorporation in children’s organs" SWISS MED WKLY 2 0 0 3 ; 1 3 3 : 4 8 8 – 4 9 0

"Radiocaesium and congenital malformations".Internat J Radiation Medicine 2001:3:10–11."

Human biology is not fundamentally different from other species, though there are differences in radiosensitivity between species, and between individuals within species.  The more predominant problem is that when humans get radiation exposure it is usually in much fewer number and at much lower doses than non-humans.

When we perform epidemiological studies on humans, we have to ensure that any difference in an observed excess m-t effect is not simply due to chance or some other cause.  We find consistently no statistically significant m-t effect in human epidemiological studies.

However, we still estimate there is a risk of excess m-t effects based on studies of mice of about 0.5% per Gy, though we can't discern that small increase epidemiologically.

The first commenter study is basically just a listing of Cs-137 concentrations in tissue and isn't really related to the m-t effect discussion.  I don't find anything particularly surprising about it.

I could not find the second commenter study, just an abstract, so I can't comment on it.  Perhaps the commenter can provide an actual link address in the comments.

Anyone new here would be advised to read my "LNT Model and Radiation Studies" page at the upper right of the home page.  Though LNT has to do with cancer and not m-t effects, the meta-analysis of BEIR VII also addresses m-t effects.  The same philosophy of science (regarding understanding the role of studies and trying to be objective) applies.

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