I’ve heard about some research from New Zealand – is this different to the UK study?
A team from Massey University in New Zealand did conduct a study of chromosome aberrations in blood samples taken from a group of fifty New Zealand test veterans. This particular study took advantage of developments in biological research techniques to carry out a project which was entirely different in approach to the epidemiological studies that have been undertaken by HPA. The HPA was interested in the New Zealand research and in 2007, when the results were first presented, the HPA’s cytogenetic specialists reviewed that research. HPA comments on NZ cytogenetics study, 25 July 2007 (PDF, 35 KB) In summary, the HPA concurred with the New Zealand authors that the results of their work did indicate a statistically significant threefold increase in stable chromosomal translocations for veterans (compared to their control group) and also agreed that it would be possible to ascribe this increase to radiation exposure. However, the presence of unstable aberrations left open the question of
