Groups seek better health standards for radiation

Federal agencies need to change their health standards for radiation and radionuclides to protect those most at risk, according to a campaign launched last week. A coalition of scientists, physicians, advocates for children's health and environmental justice, and women's groups wants President George W. Bush to issue an executive order making these changes. The coalition says many U.S. radiation health protection standards are aimed at a hypothetical "reference man" who is Caucasian, is 20 to 30 years old, weighs 154 lb, is 5 feet 7 inches tall, and is "Western European or North American in habit and custom." Regulations based on "reference man" fail to take into account women's higher cancer risk per unit of radiation and the possibility of early miscarriages or fetal malformations from radiation exposure, says Arjun Makhijani, president of the Institute for Energy & Environmental Research, one of the organizations seeking the executive order.