The Northern Ontario School of Medicine got a $5-million injection from Bruce Power on Thursday.
The funds will be used to establish the Bruce Power Centre for Health and Environmental Research, as well as the renewal of the Bruce Power Chair in Radiation and Health at NOSM, and the provision of an electric-car charging station that will be available to the public, and an electric car for conducting research.
The $5 million will be used over five years, with $1 million every year to continue research that focuses on the impact of low-dose radiation on health, the environmental impacts of radiation and how they impact health, the effects of radiation and diagnostic imaging on fetal programming, the effect of radiation on specific species of fish, and the impact of radiation on Indigenous communities.
“Our research looks at what happens to the body when we're exposed to low doses of radiation,” said Dr. Doug Boreham, Bruce Power chair in Radiation and Health at NOSM and manager of integration at Bruce Power. “We have found that, contrary to popular belief, low-dose radiation has a net positive effect on an organism's health, leading to less cancer and longer life expectancy. Essentially, low doses of radiation stimulate repair systems and make organisms healthier, stimulating a similar effect on the body as exercise.”
