Documents radioactive sources 11 results

"Cet article traite de l'histoire de la santé des femmes dans les milieux de travail scientifiques, en s'appuyant sur l'exemple de la radioactivité. Ce cas complexe permet en effet de s'interroger à la fois sur la place et le rapport au risque des femmes dans les laboratoires de recherches en radioactivité et sur les similitudes et les différences observables entre leur situation et celles d'autres catégories de travailleuses confrontées à des risques professionnels, plus classiquement étudiés par les historiens du travail. L'article montre ainsi que ces femmes, exposées aux dangers du radium dès le début du xxe siècle, bénéficient d'une situation relativement privilégiée en matière de gestion des risques jusque dans les années 1960. Le développement des sciences nucléaires et de leurs applications favorise alors l'apparition de régulations à caractère sexué pour encadrer la protection des personnels exposés aux radiations, reprenant des schémas assez traditionnels d'organisation du travail."

"Exposure to radiation has origins such as medical diagnosis and therapeutic procedures; nuclear weapons production and testing; as well as occupations that entail increased exposure to artificial or naturally occurring sources of radiation. Since the establishment on of the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effect of Atomic Radiation the mandate of the committee has been to undertake board reviews of the sources of ionizing radiation and of the effects of that radiation on human health and the environment. The committee last made estimates of radiation levels and trends in its 2000 report. The present report updates and extends those estimates."

"This volume, written by leading authorities from Eastern Europe, outlines the history of the health and environmental consequences of the Chernobyl disaster. Although there has been much discussion concerning the impacts of nuclear accidents, and Chernobyl in particular, never before has there been a comprehensive presentation of all the available information concerning the health and environmental effects of the low dose radioactive contaminants that were emitted from the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. The official discussions emanating from the IAEA and associated UN agencies (e.g. the Chernobyl Forum reports) have largely downplayed or ignored many of the findings reported in the Eastern European scientific literature and as a consequence these reports have erred on the side of negative findings simply because much of what was known was not included in their assessments. This new book provides a complete and extensive summary of all known research, including that published in Russian and Ukrainian, and provides new insights to the likely long term health and environmental consequences of nuclear accidents."

"At the end of the Second World War, a diagnosis of cancer was a death sentence. Sixty years later, it is considered a chronic disease rather than one that is invariably fatal. Although survival rates have improved, the very word continues to evoke a special terror and guilt, inspiring scientists and politicians to wage war against it.

In Under the Radar, Ellen Leopold shows how nearly every aspect of our understanding and discussion of cancer bears the imprint of its Cold War entanglement. The current biases toward individual rather than corporate responsibility for rising incidence rates, research that promotes treatment rather than prevention, and therapies that can be patented and marketed all reflect a largely hidden history shaped by the Cold War. Even the language we use to describe the disease, such as the guiding metaphor for treatment, "fight fire with fire," can be traced back to the middle of the twentieth century.
Writing in a lucid style, Leopold documents the military, governmental, industrial, and medical views of radiation and atomic energy to examine the postwar response to cancer through the prism of the Cold War. She explores the role of radiation in cancer therapies today, using case studies and mammogram screening, in particular, to highlight the surprising parallels. Taking into account a wide array of disciplines, this book challenges our understanding of cancer and how we approach its treatment."

"Tougher action is needed to allow for new information about the risks from internal radiation. Uncertainties about the risks mean that in some cases we might be exposed to 10 times the risk previously thought, while in other cases the risk may be almost zero. Uncertainties in current methods of estimating risks from internal radiation require policy makers and regulators to adopt a precautionary approach when dealing with exposures to internal radiation, according to a Report published today by the Committee Examining Radiation Risks of Internal Emitters (CERRIE). The Report advises that greater attention should be paid to these uncertainties.
The Report warns also that newly discovered effects of radiation, genomic instability (ongoing, long-term increase in mutations within cells and their offspring), bystander effects (cells next to those that were irradiated can also be damaged), and minisatellite mutations (inherited germline DNA changes) are real biological events that need further research. However the Report finds no clear evidence to date that current radiation risks are substantially wrong.
The Committee was established by the then Environment Minister in 2001 following concerns about the health risks of internal radiation, including reports of increased incidences of cancer near nuclear sites and after Chernobyl. ..."

"En janvier 1997, un article publié dans une prestigieuse revue scientifique britannique suscitait un vif émoi médiatique : son auteur, l'épidémiologiste Jean-François Viel, y présentait les résultats d'une enquête approfondie sur les cas de leucémies d'enfants survenus aux alentours de l'usine de retraitement de déchets nucléaires de La Hague (Cotentin). Il constatait, d'une part, un excès significatif du nombre de cas de leucémies par rapport aux régions non " nucléarisées " et, d'autre part, une corrélation significative entre l'occurrence de la maladie et la fréquentation des plages situées près des établissements nucléaires du Nord Cotentin. Cette étude a aussitôt suscité de nombreuses polémiques : mise en cause des résultats par d'autres épidémiologistes, constitution à l'initiative du ministère de l'Environnement d'une commission d'enquête (qui confirmera la validité scientifique du travail du professeur Viel), contestation par les élus locaux du Cotentin de l'existence de risques liés à la radioactivité autour de La Hague, mobilisation des mères de familles de la région, légitimement inquiètes... Dans ce livre, le professeur Viel retrace avec un remarquable souci de vulgarisation les différents épisodes de cette affaire. Ce faisant, il pose dans toute son ampleur un problème majeur de santé publique, qui dépasse largement le cas du nucléaire : comment appréhender les risques environnementaux liés à de faibles doses de produits dont les dangers sont incontestables à fortes doses ? Quelle doit être l'attitude des responsables politiques et que peuvent-ils attendre de l'expertise scientifique ? Jean-François Viel, preuves à l'appui, montre que l'on ne peut dans ce domaine que faire état de " doutes sérieux " et presque jamais de certitudes. Faut-il pour autant ne prendre aucune précaution, comme cela a été le cas pendant si longtemps pour l'amiante ?"