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Science Space radiation may cause cancer in astronauts
Science Space radiation may cause cancer in astronauts | Space radiation may cause cancer in astronauts |
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| by William Atkins | |
| Thursday, 24 April 2008 | |
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Science DiscussionsThe conclusion of researchers at Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University Medical Center (Washington, D.C.), was that “high-energy radiation found in space may lead to premature aging and prolonged oxidative stress in cells.” The April 15, 2008 press release of the GUMC went on to state that increased risk of colon cancer may be one of the consequences to astronauts when exposed to high linear energy transfer (LET) radiation when on journeys in outer space. LET (or linear energy transfer) is the term for the measurement of the number of ionization contacts (process of losing or gaining electrons by an atom) that occur by radiation per unit distance as it traverses the living cell or tissue. Radiation is either generally classified as low LET or high LET depending on the amount of damage caused by the amount of energy transferred to material exposed to such radiation. For example, medical x-ray scans are considered low LET radiation because little damage is done to the living cells it comes in contact with in its travels. However, radiation in space is considered high LET because it has the potential of causing a large amount of damage when it comes into contact with cells and tissues of the human body. High-LET radiation is made up of high-energy protons, charged particles, and gamma radiation. Solar flares from the Sun, for example, are a source of high-LET radiation. Astronauts must protect themselves while in space when solar flares are increasingly active on the Sun. In addition, electronic devices orbiting in space and on the surface of Earth are often adversely affected by such high-LET radiation. Investigations into space radiation and its effect on astronauts have been performed as early as in the 1960s as the U.S.S.R. and the United States prepared to send humans into space for the first time. Research has continued for over forty years. In 2004, for instance, a report from the National Academies indicated that the incidences of cancers may be higher in the general astronaut population than it is in the general population of the United States. Additional information on the new study relating space radiation and astronaut health is found on the next page. |
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