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Compelling Reason to Get Involved

 

The scientific community adopted the linear no-threshold (LNT) model for radiation-induced cancers in the 1950s, according to which even the smallest amount of radiation increases cancer risk, though there was no evidence for the model (All data showing increased cancer risk was for high-doses of radiation). In 1980, the radiation hormesis model was proposed (Hormesis with ionizing radiation, Book by T.D. Luckey, CRC Press., Boca Raton, Fla.,  1980.) suggesting low-dose radiation should be utilized to reduce cancers. However, low-dose radiation was not studied for cancer reduction because of the fears based on the LNT model. Since that time, more and more evidence has accumulated against the LNT model and for radiation hormesis. Even the atomic bomb survivor data, recognized widely as the most important data, following the 2012 update to the data, became inconsistent with the LNT model but consistent with radiation hormesis. Though many publications have claimed low-dose radiation causes cancers, major flaws have been identified in such publications negating or raising major doubts about their conclusions. Thus, the conclusion from all the valid evidence is that low-dose radiation would be able to reduce cancers by a considerable amount. However, we are not utilizing it for reducing cancers.

Figure legend:

LNT model Prediction - Using BEIR VII Report (NRC, 2006)

Taiwan - Residents of radio-contaminated apartments in Taiwan (Hwang, 2006)

NSWS - Radiation workers in Nuclear Shipyard Worker Study (Sponsler, 2005) 

British Radiologists - British Radiologists who entered service during the period 1955-1979 (Berrington, 2001)

Mayak - Evacuated residents of villages near Mayak Nulcear Weapons Facility (Kostyuchenko, 1994)

 

Note: Click here for an explanation of the plotted data points

How successful have we been in reducing cancers in the past 50 years? Incidence of lung cancer, which is the leading cause of cancer death, has reduced considerably since the early 1990s due to the success of smoking cessation campaign that began in the 1960s.

For all cancers, there has been some reduction in age-adjusted mortality rates since the early 1990s (Murphy, 2015).

Regarding this cancer reduction, Thun et al. (2006) state “without reductions in smoking, there would have been virtually no reduction in overall cancer mortality in either men or women since the early 1990s”.

 

Thus, our current approaches (except for the campaign against smoking) have not been successful in reducing cancers.

 

As seen earlier, studies of population groups that have been exposed to low-dose radiation has shown cancer reduction as high as 30%. Such a reduction in cancers would indeed be impressive given the present lack of progress in reducing cancers through traditional approaches.   In order to utilize such reduction in cancers for wider population, clinical trials of low-dose radiation for cancer prevention need to be initiated to confirm and optimize the cancer reduction. Such clinical trials would not be feasible in view of the longtime acceptance and use of the LNT model and the consequent fear of low-dose radiation among the public. Thus, it is most important to discontinue the use of the LNT model for radiation safety and educate the public on the observed cancer preventive effect of low-dose radiation to eliminate the fear of low-dose radiation. 

 

Hence, the mission of the XLNT Foundation is to educate the public on the observed beneficial health effects of low-dose ionizing radiation, and to campaign for eliminating use of the linear no-threshold (LNT) model in order to enhance public health.

 

XLNT Foundation has a plan of action for educating the public and for eliminating the use of the LNT model by government by challenging the present regulations. These efforts would require considerable resources. 

 

If you are satisfied with the current rate of progress in reducing cancers, and are willing to accept the present 40% lifetime risk of being diagnosed with cancers, there is no need for any action on your part with regard to the XLNT Foundation efforts. However, if you are concerned about cancer, and would like to reduce the risk of cancer beyond the current levels, you ought to help the Foundation in its efforts by contributing generously. We hope you would help us in our efforts so we can help you.

 

 

We need to discontinue the use of the LNT model to reduce and eliminate the fear of low-dose radiation and enable study of low-dose radiation for cancer prevention. The need is urgent. For every day that we delay, there would be >4000 additional cancer deaths worldwide. The cumulative toll of unnecessary cancer deaths over the past few decades is in the millions.


Next Section: Spread the word

 

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