A former professor and NASA consultant says that exposure to low doses of radiation may be good for people.

Generally, when people think of radiation, they think of rays causing damage that leads to cancer or concentrated doses killing cancer cells.

But Don Luckey, who worked on the Apollo moon missions, said in the International Journal for Low Radiation that people actually can suffer from radiation deficiency.

"When beliefs are abandoned and evidence from only whole body exposures to mammals is considered, it becomes obvious that increased ionizing radiation would provide abundant health," Luckey said.

He said that people have evolved in the presence of background radiation, and thus need it to be healthy. He said studies have shown that exposure to low levels can reduce infections and increase lifespan. A news release said that radiation can increase white blood cell counts and improve the function of blood.

He said that radioactive waste could be used to provide radiation treatment for people who need it.