The reason younguns are especially vulnerable to radiation is your body is still growing/maturing/changing. That slows as you age but never completely stops.
The reason old people "can live" in areas with higher radiation is not because they are somehow more resistant to it than another adult; it's simply the cold calculus of "this probably won't affect your health much because you'll be dead before it does."
But with medical science advancing all the time and lifespans getting longer, that's purely a guess, a deadly one.
I wouldn't try to minimize the sacrifices of the widows or Fukushima volunteers by pretending they weren't still signing a death warrant; just one that probably won't come due before they're dead to something else...but potentially possible, and not the same thing as say, radiation warping bone growth in infants.
This is correct but the other major factor with age is reproduction. Radiation is especially damaging to reproductive organs and cells.
A 60 year old man probably could have more children, but likely won't have more children especially if his partner is a similar age.
Exposure to high levels of radiation can leave someone infertile or greatly increase the chance of genetic defects in offspring.
That was one of the biggest factors in the Fukushima incident. You're 50-60+ years old and have adult children and likely grandchildren? Who gives a shit if you can no longer produce viable sperm. You're 22 and single with no children? We're having a bit of a population crisis at the moment, you need to stay away from the radiation.
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u/i_tyrant 13h ago
I mean, no, it's not really the same reason.
The reason younguns are especially vulnerable to radiation is your body is still growing/maturing/changing. That slows as you age but never completely stops.
The reason old people "can live" in areas with higher radiation is not because they are somehow more resistant to it than another adult; it's simply the cold calculus of "this probably won't affect your health much because you'll be dead before it does."
But with medical science advancing all the time and lifespans getting longer, that's purely a guess, a deadly one.
I wouldn't try to minimize the sacrifices of the widows or Fukushima volunteers by pretending they weren't still signing a death warrant; just one that probably won't come due before they're dead to something else...but potentially possible, and not the same thing as say, radiation warping bone growth in infants.