Assessment of the impact of background gamma radiation on reproductive defects in two major IGBO towns of Nigeria

Late biological effects of ionizing radiation on humans result in induction of cancers and various forms of genetic defects. A preliminary survey of hospital based data in Enugu and Owerri in the South Eastern States of Nigeria were carried out to ascertain possible relationship between our observed data on background radiation levels and reproductive abnormalities in these areas. The incidence of reproductive defects seems to correlate more with life style and socio-economic status than with background radiation dose rates