a month ago
- Regulatory frameworks treat radiation exposure as intolerable, but evidence suggests low-dose chronic exposure is far less harmful than acute high-dose exposure.
- Chernobyl's direct radiation deaths were limited (28 within three months, 19 later), but preventable thyroid cancers occurred due to radioactive iodine in milk, highlighting the importance of timely interventions.
- Fukushima and Three Mile Island caused no direct radiation deaths, contrasting with non-nuclear disasters like Bhopal and Banqiao that resulted in thousands of fatalities, indicating disproportionate fear of nuclear risks.
- Studies on Taiwanese exposed to cobalt-60 in buildings show lower overall cancer rates than the general population, challenging the assumption that low-dose radiation increases cancer risk.
- Research methods like p-hacking and subgroup analysis in some Taiwanese studies may exaggerate weak correlations, while robust studies like INWORKS find only small increases in cancer risk from low-dose radiation.
- Historical cases (e.g., radium dial painters) confirm that only high acute doses cause significant harm, suggesting current radiation regulations may be overly cautious and hinder nuclear technology adoption.