Microdosimetric-based risk factors for radiation received in space activities during a trip to Mars

A system for evaluating quality factors, Q, based on the microdosimetric distribution of the radiation field of interest has been set up; it makes use of a specific quality function (SQF) to obtain--given microdosimetric spectra--values for Q. The advantages of a system based on lineal energy are well recognized. Furthermore, recent studies have shown that spectra in 1-microm diameter tissue-equivalent spherical volumes reproduce correctly (in the sense of this formalism) measured RBE values, and thus a proportional counter would be usable as a practical instrument for radiation protection. All specific quality functions, q(y), available to date have been calculated from in vitro cellular data. To extend this approach to radiations of interest in space activities we have recently obtained a new function q(y) for in vivo radiogenic neoplasia using data on the Harderian gland of the mouse. These data were obtained for charged particles and energies relevant to space exposures. Furthermore, we introduce a new procedure that allows one to obtain--here with the use of microdosimetric distributions for the Hiroshima-Nagasaki radiation fields--risk factors scaled from the A-bomb survivorship results. We apply these concepts to particles and energies representing the galactic spectrum. We estimate that for a trip to Mars (450 d) the excess lifetime cancer mortality due to galactic cosmic ray (GCR) radiation is 0.037. This is about 50% lower than the risk coefficient obtained with the aid of standard (LET-based) quality factors.