Announcing the results of the six-year old study on the effect of low-dose radiation on workers and general public undertaken by Tata Memorial Centre (TMC), Director Dr K A Dinshaw stated, ``We have found that the dose received by the employees at the nuclear power station at Tarapur and the general public is a small fraction of the dose permitted by the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) for the public.''

``It is very difficult to distinguish between radiation-induced cancer and other types of cancers. So, one has to depend on epidemiological studies for arriving at conclusions. Our study has just shattered the popular myth that radiation can be the main source of malignancy,'' said P N Notani, a consultant to the project.

``Radiation protection is concerned with the effect of low doses delivered over long periods. AndTarapur provided an ideal case study since it has completed nearly 30 years of operation,'' said B K Bhasin, Director, Health and Safety Division, Nuclear Power Corporation (NPC).

``The TMC study will help dispel many doubts in the minds of the public and create a better awareness about the biological effects of low-dose radiation,'' said M Das, NPC's Chief Engineer in the Health and Safety Division. He blamed the media for blowing out of proportion the radiation level in and around nuclear power stations.

NPC officials stated that the study was undertaken in response to the wide criticism that there's been no independent study on the effects of radiation on workers and the general population. It was carried out on 10,089 employees of Tarapur Atomic Power Station and people living around.