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Updated: Aug 29, 2025
06:20
Irradiator Commissioning and Dosimetry for Assessment of LQ α and β Parameters, Radiation Dosing Schema, and in vivo Dose Deposition
Published on: March 11, 2021
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Evolution frames the dose response for all endpoints including application to cancer risk assessment: Time for a
1School of Public Health and Health Sciences, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, United States of America.
The Science of the Total Environment
|September 3, 2022
Summary
The dose-response relationship in low doses is a genetically determined trait with evolutionary roots. Current risk assessment fails by not using evolutionary biology principles, impacting regulatory agencies globally.
Area of Science:
- Toxicology
- Radiation Biology
- Evolutionary Biology
Background:
- Quantitative dose-response features in low doses are often overlooked.
- This oversight stems from a failure to recognize the genetic and evolutionary basis of these responses.
- This has led to significant shortcomings in toxicology and radiation biology, influencing global regulatory practices.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the underappreciated genetic and evolutionary basis of low-dose quantitative dose-response.
- To identify historical failures in toxicology and radiation biology related to this perspective.
- To advocate for a shift in risk assessment from the Precautionary Principle to one grounded in evolutionary biology.
Main Methods:
- This perspective reviews the historical foundations of current risk assessment approaches.
- It analyzes the implications of ignoring the evolutionary basis of dose-response.
- It proposes a conceptual shift in risk assessment strategies.
Main Results:
- The study identifies a historical misstep in toxicology and radiation biology concerning low-dose responses.
- It highlights the conserved, genetically based nature of these responses.
- The current Precautionary Principle is deemed inadequate for risk assessment in this context.
Conclusions:
- Risk assessment must incorporate the evolutionary principles governing low-dose quantitative dose-response.
- A paradigm shift is needed to replace the public health-based Precautionary Principle with an evolution-based approach.
- Recognizing the genetic and evolutionary basis of dose-response is crucial for accurate toxicology and radiation biology.
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