About this Research Topic

Background

Nuclear energy, weaponry, and waste pose challenges and benefits to health and well-being across diverse populations. Major nuclear events, such as the bombings of Japan, the Chernobyl disaster, and the weapons testing in the Marshall Islands, among many others have exposed specific populations to massive amounts of radiation, while the development and continued maintenance of nuclear material for peaceful applications in the U.S., former Soviet Union, France, and other global sites have met energy and medical needs. None of these aspects of radiation, however, remains confined within national borders, posing complex challenges to health policy advocates who must navigate across differing historical contexts and cultural attitudes. American geneticist William “Jack” Schull, PhD., an expert on the effects of radiation on human populations, advocated the need for archives to further radiation research and applications and promote peace.

This Research Topic aims to inform medical practitioners and researchers about individuals’ understandings of radiation and its effects; highlight some of the obstacles to reaching policies that engage multiple nations and provide possible ways forward; and encourage those studying radiation to explore the historical and cultural context of their work. This collection will provide multiple perspectives on the effects of radiation exposure that enhance the substantial existing medical literature addressing biological consequences. Because radiation is a global concern that requires policies and knowledge that cross national borders, understanding the cultural contexts in which biological data is collected, shared, and interpreted is vital in designing and implementing successful treatment and research practices, public health education, and health policies. Medical archives are rich yet underused resources for discerning the significance of radiation testing, bombs, accidents, and waste storage, for example, on individuals. This Research Topic will highlight, in part, the value of archival material to understanding the effects of radiation exposure on health, policy, cultural attitudes, and the individual experience in different societal contexts.

The Topic Editors seek manuscripts that address radiation effects from multiple disciplinary and professional perspectives. Desired manuscript categories include Hypothesis and Theory, Perspectives, and Conceptual Analysis though Original Research, Policy and Practice Reviews, Community Case Studies, and Opinion article types as well as other article types may also be appropriate. Themes include, but are not limited to:

• Interpretations of the effectiveness of public health educational and policy materials related to radiation effects;
• Challenges and solutions to working in international teams responding to radiation events;
• Explorations of advocacy’s effects on radiation-related health policies;
• Uses of archival material in understanding and communicating the effects of radiation and related policies;
• Specific cultural perspectives on radiation events that are understudied in the U.S.;
• Analyses of how humanistic and social science contributions can enhance data-driven studies of radiation;
• Applications of detailed analyses of literature, film, and archival resources to public health endeavors addressing radiation;
• Efforts of individuals, such as Dr. Jack Schull, to advance international collaborations to understand the cultural effects of both radiation events and related research.


Dr. Dunn is the Founder and President of HealthQuilt. All other Topic Editors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Keywords: advocacy, archives, health policy, medical humanities, nuclear medicine, public health, radiation, radioactivity, public policy, public health policy

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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