Class 12 - Radiation - by Stan Addison - UW Radiation Safety Officer

Class presentations

• Radiation

Class readings

• Chapter 12 "A Small Dose of Toxicology" and Radiation at Small Dose
• US EPA Radiation
• UW Radiation Safety Program Information
• UW Radiation Safety Manual

Current events

• Australian town confronts hidden costs of mining boom. The Australian mining boom has put food on the table for many communities like Mount Isa. But residents there are now suing the local mine's owner and the government after tests showed their children had high levels of lead in their blood. Christian Science Monitor http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-Pacific/2010/0304/Australian-town-confronts-hidden-costs-of-mining-boom

• Daiso fined $2M over lead-laden toys. The U.S. subsidiaries of Japanese retailer Daiso have been fined $2 million US after accusations they imported lead-tainted toys and other dangerous children's products. Associated Press http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2010/03/04/consumer-lead-toys.html

• UNMC researchers say farm chemicals may pose thyroid disease risk. A recent University of Nebraska Medical Center research study has found that farm women who work with common pesticides have a greater risk of thyroid disease. Gothenburg Times, Nebraska. http://www.gothenburgtimes.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=964:unmc-researchers-say-farm-chemicals-may-pose-cancer-risk

• The awful cost of a rural lead-smelting miracle. When news began circulating that the smelting industry in this remote farming area of China was about to expand, peasants rejoiced. Today, years later, Jiyuan is at the centre of a lead poisoning epidemic. Toronto Star, Ontario. http://www.thestar.com/news/insight/article/775171--the-awful-cost-of-a-rural-lead-smelting-miracle

• Studies show danger of even small amounts of lead in children's blood. High doses of lead have for some time been linked to chronic kidney damage. But a recent study out of Johns Hopkins Children's Center found that even small levels of lead exposure may be damaging to children's kidneys. Los Angeles Times, California. [Registration Required] http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-lead-20100308,0,6907581.story