What are the possible health effects of exposure to radiation?
Some of the health effects that exposure to radiation may cause are cancer (including leukemia), birth defects in the future children of exposed parents, and cataracts. These effects (with the exception of genetic effects) have been observed in studies of medical radiologists, uranium miners, radium workers, and radiotherapy patients who have received large doses of radiation. Studies of people exposed to radiation from atomic weapons have also provided data on radiation effects. In addition, radiation effects studies with laboratory animals have provided a large body of data on radiation-induced health effects, including genetic effects. The observations and studies mentioned above, however, involve levels of radiation exposure that are much higher (hundreds of rem) than those permitted occupationally today(<5 rem per year). Although studies have not shown a cause-effect relationship between health effects and current levels of occupation radiation exposure, it is prudent to assume th
