Long Term Mortality and Cancer Risk in Irradiated Rhesus Monkeys

Abstract

Lifetime observations on a group of 358 rhesus monkeys indicate that life expectancy loss from exposure to protons in the energy range encountered in the Van Allen belts and solar proton events is influenced primarily by the dose rather than by the energy of radiation. After 24 years, life expectancy losses from similar surface doses of low-LET (138-2300 MeV) and high-LET (32-55 MeV) protons are not significantly different, but the high-LET protons are associated with more deaths in the early years, while the low-LET protons contribute more to mortality in later years. In males, the most significant cause of life shortening is nonleukemia cancers. In females, radiation increased the risk of endometriosis (an abnormal proliferation of the lining of the uterus) which resulted in significant mortality in the years before early detection and treatment methods were employed. The findings support the 1989 guidelines of the NCRP for maximum permissible radiation exposures in astronauts.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 1989
Accession Number
ADA224365

Entities

People

  • David H. Wood

Organizations

  • United States Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Adenocarcinoma
  • Aerospace Medicine
  • Age Groups
  • Air Force
  • Animals
  • Cancer
  • Information Science
  • Medical Personnel
  • Neoplasms
  • Radiation Sickness
  • Risk Analysis
  • Sarcoma
  • Small Intestine
  • Solar Flares
  • Statistical Analysis
  • Wounds And Injuries
  • X Rays

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Nuclear and Radiation Engineering.
  • Women's Health and Cancer Risk Research: African American Women and Pregnancy Outcomes.

Technology Areas

  • Space