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. 2022 Apr 1;122(4):508-512.
doi: 10.1097/HP.0000000000001521.

Ramsar, Iran, as a Natural Radiobiological Surrogate for Mars

James S Welsh  1 , Joseph J Bevelacqua, S M J Mortazavi
Affiliations

Ramsar, Iran, as a Natural Radiobiological Surrogate for Mars

James S Welsh et al. Health Phys. .

Abstract

Terrestrial experiments involving acute exposures of low-LET radiation on inbred lab animals are quick, simple, and inexpensive but are relatively uninformative about the real radiobiological hazards of planned manned space missions. A more predictive model could involve human beings chronically exposed to "space-like" high-LET radiation. Such radiation exposure has been ongoing for thousands of years in Ramsar, Iran, and some other high-LET high background radiation regions on Earth. Examining the health of Ramsar residents can be illuminating and potentially relevant to space missions.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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