Chapter 10: Radiation Dose / Associated Risks / Types of Effects

8 flashcards · Biology · by Kristóf Nagy

1. Average Exposure

   The average amount of radiation a person receives from various sources, including natural background radiation, medical procedures, and consumer products33.

2. Radiation Syndromes

   A collection of health effects that occur after exposure to high doses of radiation over a short period. Different syndromes occur at different dose levels and affect different organ systems33.

3. Stochastic Effects

   Effects for which the probability of occurrence is dose-dependent, but the severity is independent of dose. These often have no threshold and are associated with low doses/dose rates, such as the diagnostic use of radiation2829. Typical effects include tumor development, leukemia, and genetic modifications30.

4. Deterministic Effects

   Effects for which both the probability of occurrence and the severity are dose-dependent, and which have a threshold dose below which the effect does not occur. These are associated with high doses/dose rates, such as those used in therapeutic radiation282930.

5. Gray (Gy)

   The unit of absorbed dose, defined as the energy absorbed per unit mass of material (J/kg). One Gy is equal to one joule of energy absorbed per kilogram of matter3031.

6. Health Risk

   The probability of experiencing adverse health effects due to exposure to radiation, often expressed as the percentage increase in the risk of cancer per unit of effective dose34.

7. Medical Diagnostics

   The use of radiation for diagnostic purposes, such as X-ray imaging and CT scans. These procedures typically involve low doses of radiation but contribute to the overall radiation exposure of a population34.

8. Sievert (Sv)

   The unit of effective dose, which takes into account the type of radiation and the sensitivity of different tissues to radiation. It is also expressed in J/kg but includes weighting factors to account for these differences3132.