Cancer Risks and Public Health Issues Across the Radiation Frequency Spectrum: The Long and the Short of It

Speaker
Martha S. Linet

Description
Exposures due to environmental, occupational and medical sources of ionizing and nonionizing radiation from frequencies ranging from zero to 1020 Hz are ubiquitous and of substantial public concern. Research findings from studies of these exposures are sometimes controversial. For ionizing radiation, epidemiologic, exposure assessment (dosimetric), and experimental studies since the late 1940s and early 1950s have sought to identify and quantify adverse health risks; the findings have been critically evaluated for decades by radiation protection organizations. For nonionizing radiation, investigations evaluating postulated adverse health effects were initiated in the 1970s, early 1980s, and mid-1990s for ultraviolet radiation (UVR), electromagnetic fields extremely low frequency (powerline frequency) (EMF-ELF), and radiofrequency (RF) (particularly cellular phones) exposures, respectively. Critical assessment of the research on non ionizing radiation began 30 y ago by mostly European based national and international organizations, more recently by a few U.S. federal government agencies, and only recently by NCRP with the establishment of Program Area Committee 8. This presentation will briefly summarize highlights of epidemiologic and experimental findings on associations of UVR, EMF-ELF, and RF with cancer along with the methodological complexities and research study limitations; the latter include difficulties in estimating exposures and risks, particularly in the context of temporal changes in technologies or behavioral modifications. Analogies will be presented with the challenges for epidemiological studies of low level ionizing radiation, air pollution, and benzene. Concluding remarks will focus on the need for radiation and public health scientists to address collaboratively scientific questions and public concerns on radiation exposures associated with postulated health risks using multi-disciplinary, methodologically rigorous, and cost-effective research approaches and to use state-of-the-art and proven approaches to communicate findings to the public.

Education Discount
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