1. * The total number of predicted fatalities Long-range atmospheric transport is a over the lifetime of the current Great global problem not resolvable by any one Lakes basin population of 36 million country acting alone. Local air pollution is that could be theoretically attributable also a growing problem for health and to a 50-year exposure to natural back- well-being. While the levels of many rouground radiation is of the order of tinely measured airborne pollutants have 2.4 x 105. In comparison the total decreased over the years sulfate and number of predicted fatalities theoreti- ground-level ozone concentrations concally attributable to radioactive fallout tinue to rise in many large urban areas of from all nuclear weapons tests to date the basin (3). Recently a linear nonwould be approximately 3400 while threshold relationship has been established corresponding estimates due to 50-year between increased ozone and sulfate levels exposure to current fuel cycle effluent and increased hospital admissions espefrom nuclear facilities based on environ- cially of people predisposed to respiratory mental models and actual radio nuclide disease such as asthma (6). International emission rates are of the order of 140. progress to control these pollutants is These are hypothetical values based on urgently needed. conservative exposure models and show that the impact from artificial sources of
2. Evolving Issues
3. radiation are small compared to the The ways by which we measure health are
4. effects of natural background radiation. changing. Traditional health outcomes such
5. In addition to the research findings dis- as cancer and birth defects which are well