In light of recent news stories regarding the arrest of a man allegedly plotting a "dirty bomb" attack, the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) would like to announce that three of its distinguished members are available to make expert comments on stories relating to this subject. As practicing radiation oncologists, these physicians are uniquely qualified to provide commentary on issues involving radiation and its effects on the human body.
These experts are prepared to answer the following questions:
Would terrorists target radiologic materials used to treat patients?
How accessible are these radiologic sources?
How are these radiologic sources regulated?
In the event of a "dirty bomb," what type of decontamination procedures should people follow?
What type of treatment should people seek who were in the disaster or blast area, but were otherwise unaffected by the blast?
How important will potassium iodine distribution be to treatment efforts?
How would exposure to radiation from a radiologic disaster/dirty bomb be different from the exposure patients receive from radiation treatments?
For more information on how physicians are preparing to respond in the event of a nuclear or radiologic incident, please visit http://www.astro.org/public/DisasterManagement.html to view the Disaster Preparedness Primer that ASTRO produced in conjunction with the American College of Radiology and the American Association for Physicists in Medicine.
Media professionals should also plan to attend the Nuclear/Radiologic Terrorism Presentation that ASTRO has scheduled for Saturday, October 5, 2002, in New Orleans. Put on by members of ASTRO's Nuclear/Radiologic Terrorism Task Force, this presentation is part of ASTRO's 44th Annual Scientific Meeting. Members of the media interested in registering for this meeting should visit http://www.astro.org/meetings/media/pressregis.html.
ASTRO is the largest radiation oncology society in the world, with 7,000 members who specialize in treating patients with radiation therapies. As a leading organization in radiation oncology, biology and physics, the Society's goals are to advance the scientific base of radiation therapy and to extend the benefits of radiation therapy to those with cancer and other diseases.
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