P-2a-89 Effects of Low-Dose Ionising Radiation

Recent years there have been a number of discussions about the magnitude of the health risks resulting from the exposure to low levels of ionising radiation mainly within the American Health Physics Society, the French Academy of Sciences and the Canadian Radiation Protection Association. Essentially, the debate has centred on the question of linearity, i.e., whether to assume that the probability of radiation-induced cancer at low doses is proportional to the radiation dose received, without any threshold below which there is no risk, or to assume that a threshold does exist. In view of the current status of knowledge and of the established ethical precautionary principle, the use of the LNT assumption and the current ”ICRP system of protection ” is justified according to the author’s view for radiation protection purposes. It has also a good acceptance among the health physicists all over the world. However, this approach to limiting the radiation risk should be used with great care. The collective dose should not be used to predict future detriment in the form of mortality numbers at very low doses say below a few millisieverts to large segments of populations. Recently, there have been a number of discussions about the magnitude of the health risks resulting from the exposure to low levels of ionizing radiation mainly within the American Health Physics Society, the French Academy of Sciences and the Canadian Radiation Protection Association. Essentially, the debate has centered o