Any individual exposed to carcinogenic pollutants will carry some risk of getting cancer. Strenuous attempts are made in the nuclear industry to reduce such risks to as low as reasonably achievable. Second, it aims to protect future generations from activities conducted today. The use of radiation and nuclear techniques in medicine, industry, agriculture, energy and other scientific and technological fields has brought tremendous benefits to society. The benefits in medicine for diagnosis and treatment in terms of human lives saved are enormous.
Radiation is a key tool in the treatment of certain kinds of cancer.
Three out of every four patients hospitalized in the industrial countries benefit from some form of nuclear medicine. The beneficial impacts in other fields are similar. No human activity or practice is totally devoid of associated risks. Radiation should be viewed from the perspective that the benefit from it to mankind is less harmful than from many other agents.