Radiation and Genetic Birth Defects

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that, for several decades, the medical community has alerted the public to the incidence of birth defects that are directly related to radiation, underscoring the long-term impact that exposure to radiation has on the body and on future offspring. The author points out that exposure before conception carries a risk of specific birth defects including mental retardation and childhood cancers. The paper stresses that to avoid these risks in the future it is important to re-evaluate the location of nuclear reactor sites as well as the frequency of x-rays.

Table of Contents
Introduction
Background
The Basics
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"A defect occurs when there are changes in the DNA. Changes can occur spontaneously or can be caused by an external factor. One of the external factors that have been strongly linked with changes in the elements of DNA is exposure to radiation. Changes that are caused or directly linked to the exposure to radiation are referred to as mutations.
When these changes result from radiation exposure they are called radiation-induced mutations."

More papers on Radiation and Genetic Birth Defects:

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