Research findings alarm Green MEP

The Government should use new research findings which suggest that very low levels of nuclear or chemical pollution might cause genetic mutations in its efforts to close Sellafield, an MEP says.

"I want the Irish Government and other EU states to get behind this research," Ms Nuala Ahern of the Green Party said yesterday at a Dublin seminar to mark Earth Day.

She was discussing work done at DIT Kevin Street's Radiation Science Centre by Dr Carmel Mothersill and colleagues.

The research provides strong evidence of genetic damage as a result of radiation which could cause cancers but which could also be inherited, Ms Ahern said. "It is particularly alarming that the evidence suggests long-term genetic damage from radiation. This means that mutated genes would be passed on from parents to children."

Dr Mothersill described her studies into "genomic instability", the mechanism which causes human tissues to mutate over time after exposure to low level radiation or chemical pollution.

Cultured human and animal cells were exposed in a range of experiments to non-toxic levels of radiation and chemicals. These cells were allowed to divide and grow, and DIT researchers monitored them for mutation and unexpected death. Exposed cells initially appeared normal but were found to mutate or die much more quickly than cells which had not been exposed.

"The old idea was that in cells that survived there was no damage," she said, adding, however, that "cells are not all equal. Some of these carry long term damage" that was not seen until some generations after exposure.

Subsequent work had discovered that stressed cells within minutes began to produce a protein similar to substances released by cells involved in immunity and protection against infection. This protein was produced by the affected cell only but was also able to affect neighbouring cells that had not been exposed to radiation or chemicals.

The international research community was now "chasing the nature of this protein frantically" and where this protein attached itself to the cell.

"We believe there is a genetic predisposition to genomic instability," she said.

Ms Ahern has lobbied for EU funding for genomic instability to be included in its new research programme, the 5th Framework Programme. This had been provided, she said. It was now important that the Government get behind the research initiative and support the work being done in this State on genomic instability.