A British report suggests a link between radiation exposure and heart disease for workers at nuclear power plants.
A research team studied nearly 65,000 workers at four British power stations and found nuclear plant workers were more likely to die of a heart attack than of cancer caused by occupational radiation, The Daily Telegraph reported Tuesday.
The finding, published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, said the incidence of heart attacks and other problems were highest among workers with the highest levels of exposure. Researchers, however, said the study did not rule out the possibility that diet, exercise, socioeconomic status, shift work and stress may also be a factor.
The Guardian newspaper said some of the workers began work in the industry as far back as 1946, with those who worked at nuclear sites before 1980 exposed to higher levels of radiation.
Copyright 2008 by United Press International
Related stories:
Green Up Journals: Game time
It is late January and the development team of "America's Army" -- the U.S. Army's free video game for the Mac OS X, Windows and Linux operating systems -- has arrived in Camp Guernsey for three days of hands-on training and demonstrations via the Green Up event. While the team would ordinarily spend their days coding video games, planning the next release of the game, implementing bug fixes and planning future versions of the title or marketing, for a few days they've been given full access to some of the weapons, vehicles, physical training and technologies used in their game.
Some psych patients wait days in hospital ERs
(AP) -- When staffers at a Brooklyn hospital spotted a middle-aged woman lying face-down on a waiting room floor last month, it hardly seemed like cause for alarm.
Smoke-Free Policies Very Effective in Reducing Heart Disease
Research reviewed by an international team of experts called together by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) concluded that smoke-free policies are “extremely effective” in reducing the health hazards of smoking.
Radiation for health
Could exposure to low doses of radiation cure our ills?
For decades, we have been told that exposure to radiation is dangerous. In high doses it is certainly lethal and chronic exposure is linked to the development of cancer. But, what if a short-term controlled exposure to a low dose of radiation were good for our health. Writing in today's issue of the Inderscience publication the
International Journal of Low Radiation, Don Luckey, makes the startling claim that low dose radiation could be just what the doctor ordered!
Low testosterone appears to increase long-term risk of death
Men may not live as long if they have low testosterone, regardless of their age, according to a new study. The results will be presented at The Endocrine Society's 90th Annual Meeting in San Francisco.
Diabetes drug slows early-onset puberty in girls
In young girls at risk of early puberty and insulin resistance, the diabetes drug metformin delayed the onset of menstruation and decreased the development of insulin resistance, a risk factor for type 2 diabetes, according to a new study. The results were presented Monday, June 16, at The Endocrine Society's 90th Annual Meeting in San Francisco.
Unexpected finding of molecule's dual role in mice may open new avenue to cholesterol reduction
Researchers have discovered an unknown regulator of fat and cholesterol production in the liver of mice, a significant finding that could lead to new therapies for lowering unhealthy blood levels of cholesterol and fats.
Quitting Smoking Helps Social Life
Putting down cigarettes for good can have unexpected social benefits, according to new research from Harvard and the University of California, San Diego. Smoking is bad, it turns out, not only for your physical wellbeing but for your social health, too – with smokers increasingly edged out to the margins of social circles.