Radiological & toxicological risk assessment and the linear no-threshold perspective

The paper proposes that risk assessment and regulatory positions applied in the United States for radiological sources and chemical toxicological agents are similar, primarily as a result of what the exposed populations expect. They expect a world where it is unlikely that they will experience harmful deterministic effects from exposure. They also expect lifetime exposures to be controlled so risks from stochastic effects like cancer are at levels as low as reasonably achievable. If people choose exposure as with employment or require exposure to diagnose or treat disease, they will tolerate higher exposures. Members of the public exposed involuntarily will generally not accept exposures above the thresholds for detrimental effects and expect risks of cancer and other stochastic effects to be as rare as before introduction of the source. As with the occupationally exposed, anxieties of the general public about exposure may be mitigated by genuinely recognising their concerns and providing clear answers to their questions.