Science, Politics and Ethics in the Low Dose Debate

Abstract

The roles of science, ethics and politics are identified in respect of the risks of exposure to low-dose radiation. Two case studies, the epidemiology of the United Kingdom nuclear test veterans and the risks to civilians associated with the military use of depleted uranium, are considered in the context of their ethical framing, scientific evaluation and political resolution. Two important issues for the present and future, the safe management of UK radioactive waste and the future of nuclear power, in which the science of low dose effects will be crucial and where the ethical issues are much more complex, are introduced. Specific consideration is given to the potential hereditary effects of ionising radiation in relation to the current state of radiobiological knowledge. It is concluded that for science to be useful in public health policy making there needs to be some reform from within the profession and the political imperative for freely independent scientific institutions.

Keywords:

• Depleted uranium 
• Ethics 
• Genomic instability 
• Nuclear power
• Nuclear weapons tests 
• Politics 
• Radiation risks 
• Radioactive waste 
• Science

Acknowledgements

This is the transcript of the Alice Stewart lecture to the 20^th Anniversary Low Level Radiation and Health Conference, Edinburgh, July 2004.

Notes

Keith Baverstock is at the Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Kuopio, Finland. From 1971 to 1991 he was senior grade scientist at the MRC Radiobiology Unit, Chilton and from 1991 to 2003 was Head of the Radiation Protection Division of the World Health Organization (Europe). His research interests are in the biological and physicochemical bases of the effects of ionising radiation on health. Recently he has explored theoretically the possibility of treating the genome as a complex adaptive system and has developed the dynamic genome concept, which arises from new developments in radiobiology, in particular radiation – induced genomic instability.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Keith Baverstock

Keith Baverstock is at the Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Kuopio, Finland. From 1971 to 1991 he was senior grade scientist at the MRC Radiobiology Unit, Chilton and from 1991 to 2003 was Head of the Radiation Protection Division of the World Health Organization (Europe). His research interests are in the biological and physicochemical bases of the effects of ionising radiation on health. Recently he has explored theoretically the possibility of treating the genome as a complex adaptive system and has developed the dynamic genome concept, which arises from new developments in radiobiology, in particular radiation – induced genomic instability.