Radiation and Health

During the last decade, the debate about the health consequences of radiation exposure became increasingly polarized. Criticism of the nuclear industry expressed itself in a series of public enquiries into proposals to build installations at Windscale (now Sellafield), Sizewell and Dounreay. Public concern was aroused by reports of high incidences of childhood leukaemias in the vicinity of nuclear establishments, and although conventional radiobiological thinking does not accept a connection, environmentalists argue that in the absence of any other identifiable agent, radiation is the most obvious explanation. This is the background against which this book has been created. It represents a debate of the issues surrounding the low level radiation controversy, enabling all sides involved to assess the validity of the data presented and the strength of the arguments put forward. Contributors have been chosen on the basis of their current research involvement and their pre-eminence in the fields of radiobiology, epidemiology and environmental medicine.
Different scientific viewpoints are reflected equally, and the reader is left to decide whether or not the evidence allows a consensus to be drawn. Whatever the case, the book constitutes a rigorous, thoughtful and critical reappraisal of the evidence to date, and a scientific debate of the highest standard. It is for everyone involved in health care policy and delivery, as well as politicians, journalists and environmental groups, trade unions, safety officers, and workers in the nuclear industry.