Shaan Stevens – Is Radiation Ever Really Safe? Growing public concern about possible radiation exposure during the 2011 nuclear crisis in Japan raised questions about radiation safety: •What is the relative safety of radiation at various levels? •How much radiation is safe? •How much radiation is dangerous or, potentially, lethal? Such concerns about radiation safety and public health prompted officials in many countries to quickly offer assurances that the radiation exposure experienced by people in the United States and other countries, and most parts of Japan, is “safe” and poses no health risk. In their eagerness to calm public fears about the safety of radiation and the short-term health risks of radiation exposure from the damaged nuclear reactors in Japan, however, government officials may have ignored or glossed over the potential long-term health risks and cumulative effects of radiation. Radiation is Never Safe “There is no safe level of radiation,” said Dr. Jeff Patterson, immediate past president of Physicians for Social Responsibility, a radiation exposure expert, and a practicing family doctor in Madison, Wisconsin. “Every dose of radiation has the potential to cause cancers, and we know that there are other damaging effects of radiation as well. The history of the radiation industry, all the way back [to] the discovery of X-rays . . . is one of understanding that principle.” Radiation Damage is Cumulative “We know that radiation is not safe. The damage is …
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