Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Uncertainty, low-dose extrapolation and the threshold hypothesis.

Charles E Land1

  • 1Radiation Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA.

Journal of Radiological Protection : Official Journal of the Society for Radiological Protection
|October 29, 2002
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Accounting for shared and unshared dosimetric uncertainties in the dose response for ultrasound-detected thyroid nodules after exposure to radioactive fallout.

Radiation research·2015
Same author

Uncertainties in estimating health risks associated with exposure to ionising radiation.

Journal of radiological protection : official journal of the Society for Radiological Protection·2013
Same author

Lauriston S. Taylor lecture: Radiation Protection and Public Policy in an Uncertain World.

Health physics·2011
Same author

Mortality from cardiovascular diseases in the Semipalatinsk historical cohort, 1960-1999, and its relationship to radiation exposure.

Radiation research·2011
Same author

Behavior and food consumption pattern of the population exposed in 1949-1962 to fallout from Semipalatinsk nuclear test site in Kazakhstan.

Radiation and environmental biophysics·2010
Same author

Breast cancer risk from different mammography screening practices.

Radiation research·2010
Same journal

Occupational Radiation Exposure in Spine Surgery: Organ-specific OSL Phantom Dosimetry and Workload-based Risk Assessment.

Journal of radiological protection : official journal of the Society for Radiological Protection·2026
Same journal

A dosemeter for the public based on NaCl pellets for use in radiological or nuclear emergencies.

Journal of radiological protection : official journal of the Society for Radiological Protection·2026
Same journal

Dose Simulation for the MATROSHKA-R Experiment onboard the International Space Station Using a High-Fidelity Model of the Zvezda Module.

Journal of radiological protection : official journal of the Society for Radiological Protection·2026
Same journal

Reflecting Local Economic Parameters in ALARA Evaluations for the Reuse of Decommissioning Remaining Building.

Journal of radiological protection : official journal of the Society for Radiological Protection·2026
Same journal

OBITUARYRoger Clarke 1943-2026.

Journal of radiological protection : official journal of the Society for Radiological Protection·2026
Same journal

Radiation protection knowledge among healthcare professionals and students - what (if anything) are studies telling us?

Journal of radiological protection : official journal of the Society for Radiological Protection·2026
See all related articles

Risk-based radiation protection relies on estimated risks and their uncertainties. Current evidence suggests even low radiation doses may pose cancer risks, challenging the linear no-threshold model.

Area of Science:

  • Radiation protection
  • Radiobiology
  • Risk assessment

Background:

  • Radiation protection policies are shaped by risk estimations and their uncertainties.
  • Current risk assessments for low-dose ionizing radiation rely on extrapolations from high-dose data.
  • The linear no-threshold (LNT) hypothesis is a cornerstone of radiation protection, assuming risk is proportional to dose without a safe lower limit.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the influence of risk uncertainty on radiation protection policies.
  • To examine the evidence for a universal low-dose threshold for radiation-induced cancer.
  • To discuss the implications of a potential threshold on regulatory frameworks.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of existing data on cancer risk estimation from ionizing radiation.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Review of the scientific basis for the linear no-threshold hypothesis.
  • Exploration of the impact of uncertainty quantification in risk assessment.

    • Main Results:

    • Risk-based radiation protection is significantly influenced by the uncertainty surrounding risk estimates.
    • Available data do not conclusively prove a universal low-dose threshold below which no radiation risk exists.
    • The possibility that DNA damage from a single photon could contribute to cancer remains.
    • Even if a threshold exists, it may not substantially reduce the regulatory burden associated with the LNT hypothesis unless it is virtually certain.

    Conclusions:

    • Radiation protection policy must account for the uncertainty in risk estimates, not just central estimates.
    • The absence of proof for a low-dose threshold means the possibility of risk from low doses cannot be dismissed.
    • The linear no-threshold model, despite uncertainties, remains a pragmatic basis for regulation in the absence of definitive evidence for a safe threshold.