News item in Sunday Times (Sept. 7, 2014) Cancer behind 70% deaths in India’s atomic energy hubs

The change in the cell's genetic material may occur spontaneously or be brought on by an agent (a carcinogen) that causes cancer ultimately. There are hundreds of reasons such as pollution, family history, cigarette smoking, intake of alcohol, exhausts from vehicles, etc for initiation of mutation in the body. As compared to these, radiation is a weak carcinogen.

 

It is a well-known fact that aging is associated with a number of events at the molecular, cellular and physiologic levels in our body that influence carcinogenesis and subsequent cancer growth. It is also well documented that the incidence of malignant tumors increases progressively with age, in both animals and humans. Cancer is an old-age disease. 

 

It is experimentally known that it is rather impossible to detect clinically any biological effects caused by radiation up to the cumulative radiation dose of 100 mSv. Dose limits for occupational workers are fixed on this basis, and assuming a linear non-threshold relationship between dose and its effect. This assumption is not based on sound experimental results. The well-known protective mechanisms in the body such as biological repair mechanism, adaptive response of the cells, and reported positive biological effects (radiation hormesis) which are prevalent at low dose exposure situations, are not considered by the international organizations (such as ICRP) while formulating the limits. This is an unrealistic assumption and should be challenged scientifically.

 

A clearer understanding of these events will help in predicting, and scientifically explaining the incidences of cancer.

 

The radiation doses received by workers in most of the DAE facilities are in the range of natural background radiation dose to which all human being are exposed. The increase, if at all true, may not be related to the small radiation doses received by the workers and the members of the public living near nuclear facilities. The risk from the exposures is trivial.  

 

It is reported that majority of deaths of persons in DAE centres are caused from cancer. If this is true, department should investigate the reasons other than radiation exposure for such a trend.

 

One most probable reason is the excellent health care facilities for DAE employees, families and the retirees might have caused significant increase in the life expectancy, and the malignancy is likely to be detected mostly in elder people. This can be confirmed by the age at which cancer is diagnosed among the people. There can be only some exceptions like childhood cancers.

 

We should be telling the truth to the public that cancer is an OLD-AGE DISEASE, nothing much to do radiation exposure. Millions of people are dying of cancers related to smoking, use of tobacco and consumption of alcohol!