In his American study Professor Gofman sets out to show how, by his extensive research, that 75% of breast cancer in women in the U.S.A., is the direct result of past medical irradiation of the breasts with x-rays. He has chosen the forty year period of 1920 to 1960 on which to base his study.
A large book of 49 chapters it is no easy bed-time read but is intended for anyone interested in breast cancer and its prevention, medical professionals, women in general and their families. There are many graphs, calculations and tables of figures that the author suggests "the easy readers should feel no guilt for skipping." He has put them in so that people can check for themselves how his conclusions have been reached.
Professor Gofman has proven through his study that, women developing breast cancers today may have "paid the price" for radiation possibly received decades earlier during infancy and childhood. These have been in the form of chest x-rays from mass screening of Tuberculosis,fluoroscopy,treatment of bronchial asthma, thymus irradiation,scoliosis and treatment of whopping cough - to name a few from a long list. He claims there is no safe dose of ionizing radiation.
Today worldwide, radiologists and physicists have achieved a spectacular reduction in medical irradiation but in the past careless overdosing did occur. In particular, since 1970, there has been a 30 fold reduction in breast dose from mammography. With the increased use of today's modern, diagnostic, x-ray equipment such as C.T.,M.R.I.,and nuclear medicine scans our medical professionals are very dependant on these for accurate results.
The good news is that with the new technical developments like "digital computed radiology" there is the potential to reduce radiation dosage.
In the final chapters of his book Professor Gofman answers the critics of his first edition "Preventing Breast Cancer", including Dr Susan Love's question "Is Radiation a PAST Problem"?
Professor Gofman concludes his book with the bottom line hope "Why do we continue to tolerate x-ray overdoses? We owe it to society to establish trustworthy services which eliminate such overdoses"
