Radiation hormesis

[Warthog]

Radiation hormesis could be one of the most beneficial forms of hormesis available, but unfortunately it is usually dismissed out of hand because of the irrational fear of radiation that is so prevalent. Obviously, elevated levels of radiation can be very harmful, but we are talking here about low dosages, similar to what Colorado residents get naturally from living at high altitude. An epidemiologist named Thomas Luckey has extensively studied the impact of radiation on animals and humans, including studies of Japanese with indirect exposure to the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombs, workers in various industries with radioactive exposure, people who have low level radon in their basements, as well as laboratory studies on animals deliberately exposed to radiation. The data supports the conclusion that low dose radiation can extend life and counteract many diseases including cancers and autoimmune conditions. According to Luckey, "safe radiation supplementation in the United States would prevent 700 premature deaths every day.

Here are some links to Luckey's published work:
http://www.radpro.com/641luckey.pdf
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0849361591/ref=cm_rdp_product

[Moonbeam]

How does the body-scanner at the airport fit into that?  Within the right range?

[Warthog]

Moonbeam, I found a good article for you here regarding relative levels of radiation:
http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2010/01/05/f-airport-scanners-radiation-risk.html

Here is the bottom line:
  A chest x-ray or dental x-ray gives you 10 millirem per exposure.
  If you take an airplane across the North American continent, you get about 3 millirem.
  When you go through the airport body scanner, you get 0.01 millirem. 
  -- that's 1000 times lower exposure than going to the dentist, and 300 times lower than taking the actual airplane flight.

Doesn't sound too bad.

Warthog

[Moonbeam]

Thanks, WH.  Too low to do anything, I guess.

It was annoying; they picked up my driver's license and boarding pass in the side pocket of my jeans and so had to do a pat-down, and they made me take my watch off and it wasn't in the same bin when I was done and I forgot it and walked like a mile away before I remembered.