Commentary and Review Series 1-08
Risk from ionizing radiation
Cullings HM, Cologne JBMelnick EL, Everitt BS, eds. Encyclopedia of Quantitative Risk Analysis and Assessment. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.; 2008 (July), pp 1540-6
Summary
Ionizing radiation, perhaps the most studied of all environmental hazards, illustrates many important aspects of quantitative risk assessment. We discuss the nature of ionizing radiation, major sources of exposure to humans, and the major categories of resulting health effects, focusing on stochastic late effects such as increased rates of cancer. We explain the role of the fundamental exposure metric, radiation dose, in regard to issues such as the shape and magnitude of the dose response and the important dependence of dose response on time variables and other factors specific to the affected individual (effect modification). After explaining basic methods of radiation risk estimation, including methods for dealing with uncertainty in the doses of individuals in a study cohort, we discuss several important principles related to the application of the resulting estimates in radiation protection. Finally, we outline some of the major results of radioepidemiological studies.
Encyclopedia of Quantitative Risk Analysis and Assessment. Edited by Edward L. Melnick and Brian S. Everitt.
Copyright 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. ISBN: 978-0-470-03459-8
Ionizing radiation, perhaps the most studied of all environmental hazards, illustrates many important aspects of quantitative risk assessment. We discuss the nature of ionizing radiation, major sources of exposure to humans, and the major categories of resulting health effects, focusing on stochastic late effects such as increased rates of cancer. We explain the role of the fundamental exposure metric, radiation dose, in regard to issues such as the shape and magnitude of the dose response and the important dependence of dose response on time variables and other factors specific to the affected individual (effect modification). After explaining basic methods of radiation risk estimation, including methods for dealing with uncertainty in the doses of individuals in a study cohort, we discuss several important principles related to the application of the resulting estimates in radiation protection. Finally, we outline some of the major results of radioepidemiological studies.
Encyclopedia of Quantitative Risk Analysis and Assessment. Edited by Edward L. Melnick and Brian S. Everitt.
Copyright 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. ISBN: 978-0-470-03459-8