Who will control the researcher?

1996/06/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Giza zientziak

Not all human beings have the same ability to adapt to low temperatures and extreme living conditions. It is known that the inhabitants of Alaska, for example, are able to withstand high temperatures and long frosts, but the reason was not so clear in the 1950s.

At that time, a group of U.S. Army researchers left for Slope Borough of Alaska to study the mechanisms of adaptation of the human body to the cold. According to researchers, the thyroid may be directly related to these adaptation pathways, more specifically to some of the hormones that secrete the endocrine gland.

Recently, the injection of the isotope iodine-131 to the population has been known to influence the functioning of the thyroid. This line of research was not successful and they decided to suspend the study. However, Slope Borough residents will not forget the research so easily, as the cancer rate has increased considerably among researchers who injected the isotope. The Alaska health organizations have requested that the draft disclaimer be informed. Several researchers have indicated that the inhabitants of this town had not been informed of what they were doing or had not been asked for permission.

At the moment, only the first data of the controversy have been published, but the debate will last for a long time. It allows us to reflect on the social cost of progress. Who will control the researcher?