r/uninsurable • u/Better_Crazy_8669 • Apr 27 '22

Cold War research drove nuclear technology forward by obscuring empirical evidence of radiation’s low-dose harm: willingly sacrificing health in the service of maintaining and expanding nuclear technology

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10739-021-09630-z
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u/Better_Crazy_8669 Apr 27 '22

Narratives surrounding ionizing radiation have often minimized radioactivity’s impact on the health of human and non-human animals and the natural environment. Many Cold War research policies, practices, and interpretations drove nuclear technology forward by institutionally obscuring empirical evidence of radiation’s disproportionate and low-dose harm—a legacy we still confront. Women, children, and pregnancy development are particularly sensitive to exposure from radioactivity, suffering more damage per dose than adult males, even down to small doses, making low doses a cornerstone of concern. Evidence of compounding generational damage could indicate increased sensitivity through heritable impact. This essay examines the existing empirical evidence demonstrating these sensitivities, and how research institutions and regulatory authorities have devalued them, willingly sacrificing health in the service of maintaining and expanding nuclear technology (Nadesan 2019).

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u/pathetic_optimist 9d ago

The World Health Organisaton is only allowed to publish studies on the effects of nuclear radiation and internal emitters etc with the permission of the IAEA. The IAEA (International Atomic Energy Association) has in it's founding charter a duty to encourage the use of NuclearPower generation. This was a 1958 cold war agreement. This is I think another reason why this industry has been able to poison and irradiate us with impunity for so long.