The wingspread conference a conference of the council of scientific society presidents

摘要

In the last few years, in the USA especially, but to a degree elsewhere too, there has been considerable debate over the estimated magnitude of the risks (of cancer induced) after low doses of ionizing radiation. Risks derived on the basis of the linear no threshold hypothesis (with an allowance for dose and dose rate effects, which the International Commission on Radiation Protection (ICRP) and the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP) in the USA recommend) have been challenged. Some maintain that the calculated risks are too high and that the epidemiological and other sources of information do not justify them. Others argue that the estimated risks are too low and that some epidemiological evidence leads to higher risks . One scientific society (the Health Physics Society) has taken a position that risks for doses less than 100 mSv should not be estimated. Other scientific societies have hosted sessions in which these conflicting views were aired, presumably in the hope of resolving issues on the basis of scientific evidence. So far these sessions have not been outstandingly successful. While they have served to illuminate some issues, they tend to reflect the biases of the organizers and the chosen speakers rather than to provide a sound debate on scientific issues.