Long-term exposure to low doses of radiation increases the risk of cancer

According to research results published in the British Medical Journal on October 21, exposure to radiation, even at very small doses, over a long period of time can still increase the risk of cancer.

Workers at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. (Photo: AP)

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) of the World Health Organization (WHO), in collaboration with the International Worker Study Group (INWORKS), conducted a study of more than 300,000 nuclear workers with an average age of 58 in the UK, France and the US between 1943 and 2015.

The results showed that although the mortality rate from solid tumors was not high, one in 100 deaths was related to radiation exposure at work.

In addition, there was a significant association between increased radiation dose and the risk of solid tumor formation.

The discovery is important not only for the protection of nuclear industry workers but also for medical staff and humanity as a whole, as the amount of radiation exposure to these workers is equivalent to that of patients undergoing magnetic resonance imaging (CT) scans or X-rays.

From there, it helps scientists open up new research directions to balance the risks and benefits of diagnostic imaging methods./.

According to VIETNAM+