| Karl Morgan -- The Father of Health Physics | |
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| Karl Morgan was the founder of Health Physics, a discipline which approaches questions of radiation dose and effects primarily from a physical rather than a biological perspective. He was instrumental in showing that there is no safe dose of radiation. He resigned his position as Head of Health Physics at Oak Ridge in 1972 when he was ordered by his superiors to suppress information in his possession about the toxicity of plutonium. He subsequently worked as a private consultant on behalf of radiation victims, including Karen Silkwood. He believes that the offically-defined "permissible levels" of radiation are much higher than they should be. |
Ionising radiation is responsible for less than 10% of childhood leukaemias. It is generally agreed that neither waste from nuclear installations, nor the pre-conception exposure of fathers to radiation, is a likely cause of leukaemia in children. The latter theory is biologically implausible on the basis of what is known about the frequency of human gene mutations. At present, the evidence for the implication of other causes is very weak. The possibility that non-ionising radiation might be responsible is unlikely, but worthy of further exploration. There is increasing evidence that extremely low-energy electromagnetic fields can induce metabolic changes in cells, notably a change in calcium permeability across cell membranes. To suggest that this increases the risk of cancer is, as yet, without evidence, but it is possible that such electromagnetic fields may have biological effects.