Friday, 25 January 2019

Speaker: Don Wiles

Lecture title: Radiation and Human Health

Lecture Summary

Humans have been exposed to nuclear radiation for millions of years and seem to have survived. Illustrations will be given to show how radiation can interact with human flesh and how the effects can often be counteracted.  Some examples of extreme cases will be given.  Current evidence indicates that there is a lower limit, below which radiation is not harmful.  In fact, small animal research indicates that below the safe limit radiation is actually beneficial to human and animal health.  Finally, a summary will be given of my own exposure to radiation, including my own gamma-ray spectrum

Bio: Don Wiles

Starting in Port Hope Ontario, I became exposed to large doses of radiation, and ingested considerable quantities of radium-226.  I also got a ‘radium burn’ on two fingers.  At MIT, I was useful in helping to calibrate a device for measuring radon in human breath.  Somehow I have survived.