From: Philip Witham (p.j.witham@ieee.org)
Date: Fri Jul 02 1999 - 22:43:42 MDT
> CONCLUSIONS: These
> results ... demonstrate that the paradigm, which
> states that low-dose effects can be predicted high-dose
> effects, cannot be systematically applied in radiation
> biology in general and gerontology in particular.
This is supported by studies of natural background radiation -vs- cancer rates in humans. If one lives with a higher natural background radiation level you tend to lower cancer rates.
It's especially destructive that the EPA/government "paradigm", as you say, is a linear model. Almost anything is poison at a high enough dose, including food, air, and water. Even reading the entire transhuman news feed could be fatal (no time to eat!) :-}
And like oxygen, many things pass from poison to nutrient as the dose is lowered.
I guess many billions of dollars are blown on the wrong environmental problems due to this linear bone-headedness on the part of the "scientific" community. Worse yet is the public mental "model" of the effect of radiation - "Any 'radiation' is dangerous.".
-PW
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