Unanswered questions: the legacy of atomic veterans.
The Department of Veterans Affairs identifies 195,000 servicemen as being involved in the occupation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, with an additional 210,000 personnel participating in 200 post-war nuclear tests. In 1995, the Institute of Medicine declined to recommend a study of the reproductive outcomes of Atomic Veterans. This article revisits the Institute of Medicine decision. Health effects and legislation provide the framework for a critical analysis of the Japanese data as it applies to Atomic Veterans. It explores the role of traditional hypothesis testing in legislative decisions and offers an in-depth exploration of paternal contributions to adverse reproductive events. It emphasizes the risks faced by reproductive age males when exposed to environmental hazards such as ionizing radiation.
Hansen
Deborah
D
Department of Veterans Affairs, St. Louis, MO, USA. d.hansen@att.net
Schriner
Cheryl
C
D000016:Abnormalities, Radiation-Induced / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000328:Adult; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009689:Nuclear Warfare / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D018812:Paternal Exposure / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015995:Prevalence; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D012307:Risk Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014728:Veterans / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*