Radiation dose and survival

2000/09/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Anatomia/Fisiologia

Studies on the effect of low dose radiation on the human body have yielded contradictory results.

Some studies concluded that some of the people who collected the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombs survived, that is, some of those who received small doses of radiation lived longer than those who did not receive radiation. Others, on the other hand, said that these people developed cancer and died younger.

However, little research has been done with those who did not die of cancer. A new study analyzes 120,000 people who received the atomic bomb and relates survival to the level of radiation. According to the study, survival per unit of absorbed radiation (Gy) decreases 1.3 years, but the higher the dose, the faster the years of life are lost.

As for survival, those who received less radiation than a Gy lost an average life of 2 months, while those who exceeded this limit lost 2.6 years. All the people analyzed reduced their average life in four months.