Herbert M. Parker Foundation Lecture by Dr. Antone L. Brooks – Irradiated: My Experience

Herbert M. Parker Foundation Lecture by Dr. Antone L. Brooks – open to the public

Irradiated: My Experience

I will provide a brief review of my experience working with radiation, especially internally deposited radioactive material.  My history starts in St. George Utah during the above ground testing of the Atomic Bombs at the Nevada test site.  I was a down-winder and had a first-hand view of the testing.  My MS degree at the University of Utah was directed toward following the movement of radioactive fallout from the A-bomb tests through the environment and into man.  It was on everything and in everything and my concern and fear for my friends, family and personal health and welfare was high.  I went on to get a Ph.D. Cornell University to study the health effects of radiation with special emphasis on genetic alterations and cancer induction.  Since graduation I have invested my research life trying to understand the effects of radiation, especially the type of radiation that I was exposed to, internally deposited radioactive materials.  My extensive experimental research, analysis and study of radiation has helped me put the risks for low doses of ionizing radiation into a framework where my fears of low doses no longer exists.   I realize that this area is of great importance and that many different opinions exist on the risk and I look forward to having an open and useful discussion on this subject.