RESEARCH. EDUCATION. COMMUNITY. AWARENESS.
Ionizing Radiation (IR) will have compounding health for future generations.
Relatively little of the information on radiation-related risk comes from studies of populations exposed mostly or only to radioactive fallout, because useful dose-response data are difficult to obtain. While we don’t know why gender is a factor in harm from radiation exposure, we do know that it is. And knowing that there is greater risk calls for action. We must protect our grandchildren, particularly our granddaughters – now.
- Various factors make it difficult to study fallout-related thyroid cancer risk in all but the most heavily exposed populations. Thyroid cancer risks from external radiation are related to gender and to age at the time of exposure, with by far the highest risks occurring among women exposed as young children.
- Observations of thyroid cancer risk among children exposed to fall-out from the Chernobyl reactor accident in 1986 have led to a reassessment. An Institute of Medicine report concluded that the Chernobyl observations support the conclusion that I-131 has an equal effect, or at least two-thirds the effect of internal radiation. More recent data on thyroid cancer risk among persons in Belarus and Russia exposed as young children to Chernobyl
fallout offer further support of this inference. - Some of the fallout exposures discussed here occurred roughly 50 to 60 years ago, including from Hiroshima and Nagasaki A-bombs. Most under study were exposed to fallout or direct radiation—for example, A-bomb survivors—at very young ages during the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, are still alive, and the cumulative experience obtained from all studies of radiation-exposed populations is that radiation-related cancers can be expected to occur at any time over the entire lifetime following exposure.
- Concern about possible use of radioactive materials by terrorists has been heightened in recent years, including conventional attacks using a dirty bomb—seem more likely (because they are easier to carry out) than a fission event, but it is still useful to ask ourselves…
“What lessons from our research on fallout are applicable to events of radiological terrorism?” – Mary Olson
Mission Critical
Genetic damage in offspring due to radiation exposure is well known, but not well documented for our generation to access. The medical impacts are important to track for this and future generations. We’ve watched our parents suffer the consequences, our children, for those able to bear children, and many now, their grand-children. Managing various health complications without access to critical information is an impact that most know nothing about. It became clear during my journey that there exists a need for medical information and resources become less burdensome.
Critical information is required for these casualties, the human unintended consequences, pursue proper medical care now. So much new technology can be leveraged to help understand these generational challenges.
Vision
Our focus is to the service men and women around the globe and their families, as it poses particular challenges due to the levels of secrecy required, government and regulatory agencies, and records restrictions involved with service personnel and contractors.