The controversy over radiation safety. A historical overview

Journal Article · Fri Aug 04 00:00:00 EDT 1989 · JAMA, Journal of the American Medical Association; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.262.5.664· OSTI ID:5513461

Walker, J S ^[1]

---

1. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC (USA)

The hazards of ionizing radiation have aroused concern since a short time after the discovery of x-rays and natural radioactivity in the 1890s. Misuse of x-rays and radium prompted efforts to encourage radiation safety and to set limits on exposure, culminating in the first recommended tolerance doses in 1934. After World War II, the problems of radiation protection became more complex because of the growing number of people subjected to radiation injury and the creation of radioactive elements that had never existed before the achievement of atomic fission. Judging the hazards of radiation became a matter of spirited controversy. Major public debates over the dangers of radioactive fallout from atmospheric bomb testing in the 1950s and early 1960s and the risks of nuclear power generation in later periods focused attention on the uncertainties about the consequences of exposure to low-level radiation and the difficulties of resolving them. 35 references.

• OSTI ID: 5513461
• Journal Information: JAMA, Journal of the American Medical Association; (USA), Vol. 262:5; ISSN 0098-7484
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
RADIUM
RADIATION HAZARDS
X RADIATION
FALLOUT
HISTORICAL ASPECTS
LOW DOSE IRRADIATION
MAN
MAXIMUM PERMISSIBLE EXPOSURE
RADIATION INJURIES
RADIATION PROTECTION
RADIOTHERAPY
REVIEWS
ALKALINE EARTH METALS
ANIMALS
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
BIOLOGICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
DOCUMENT TYPES
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELEMENTS
HAZARDS
HEALTH HAZARDS
INJURIES
IONIZING RADIATIONS
IRRADIATION
MAMMALS
MEDICINE
METALS
NUCLEAR MEDICINE
PRIMATES
RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIATIONS
RADIOLOGY
SAFETY STANDARDS
STANDARDS
THERAPY
VERTEBRATES
560151* - Radiation Effects on Animals- Man
560161 - Radionuclide Effects
Kinetics
& Toxicology- Man