A Proposal for a Longitudinal Study to Assess the Hazards of Radiation in Space Flight
Abstract
This thesis involves the establishment of a registry of all United States astronuats, past and future, plus non-astronaut controls. The registry will record the incidences of malignant neoplastic disease and diabetes mellitus, and the space radiation exposure received. Data will be carefully analyzed to see if there is a dose-related increase in these diseases related to the exposure to ionizing radiation, with an eventual goal of establishing reliable risk estimates related to dose received. The history of cancer related to radiation exposure is summarized, and the space radiation environment briefly described. Physiological changes accompanying space flight and their potential effects on radiation tolerance and carcinogenesis are discussed. The reasons why data from animal experiments and human occupational, medical, and nuclear weapon exposure cannot be extrapolated to the long term health risks of astronauts are discussed at length, and the study instruments for establishing a long term descriptive surveillance study are described. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1985
- Accession Number
- ADA160801
Entities
People
- G. I. Reeves
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology