The $100 Billion Market for Radiation Resistance

The bacteria Deinococcus radiodurans can survive "doses of ionising radiation thousands of times stronger than would kill a human." According to this article, it might be possible to give this kind of radiation resistance to humans.

Imagine the civil defense benefits of such a treatment. If the entire U.S. population could survive high radiation doses then we would have much less to fear from nuclear attacks. I can easily imagine 100 million people willing to pay $1,000 each for such a drug meaning the total market is at least $100 billion. This should certainly spur pharmaceutical companies into research action.

If most Americans were highly resistant to radiation then terrorists would get much less benefit from attacking us with atomic weapons or radiological bombs. Developing such treatment might be the best defense we have against states such as North Korea and Iran acquiring nuclear weapons.