In the monazite sands region of Kerala, India, adults, children, and unborn children receive relatively high doses of radioactivity. The cancer rate is no different there from the rest of Kerala, where people receive much lower doses

Question

(92) How could this be possible? Give your reasoning in your answer.

Answer 1

People have been bathed in radiation from their beginnings as a species.
Mechanisms in living things have evolved to undo cellular damage such as can be caused by
radiation. Some people believe in hormesis, the beneficial effects of exposure to low levels
of radiation that somehow "toughens" the body's responses. People who have long lived
in regions such as Kerala may have developed subtle coping mechanisms that allow their
bodies to minimize harm from the omnipresent radiation.
Actually, the result is a big mystery that is still being studied. If you don't have the answer,
don't despair—no one else does, either.