[About Dose-Effect Relationship in the Environment Radiation Protection]

One of the most important stages in the development of a methodology for the environment radiation protection is the assessment and justification of critical radiation exposure levels for ecosystem components. In this study application of the approach for critical dose level estimation is demonstrated on the example of the data about ionizing radiation effect on reproduction and survival of agricultural plants after acute and chronic exposures. Influence of the type of dose-effect relationship on the estimated values of the critical doses and dose rates is studied using three models (linear, logarithmic and logistic). The findings obtained do not provide any robust recommendations in favor of one of the three tested functions. The models of dose-effect relationship (threshold or non-threshold) and types of radiation-induced effects (stochastic and deterministic) are discussed from the viewpoint of developing a system for radiation protection of human and non-human biota.