LOW-DOSE strongRADIATIONstrong EPIDEMIOLOGY STUDIES STATUS AND ISSUES.pdfVIP

Paper LOW-DOSE RADIATION EPIDEMIOLOGY STUDIES: STATUS AND ISSUES Roy E. Shore* valuable: reasonably accurate individual dosimetry, a Abstract—Although the Japanese atomic bomb study and wide range of doses, a large population (120,000) of both radiotherapy studies have clearly documented cancer risks from high-dose radiation exposures, radiation risk assessment sexes and all ages at exposure, a largely unselected groups have long recognized that protracted or low exposures population (e.g., not irradiated because of medical con- to low-linear energy transfer radiations are key radiation ditions or employment status), virtually complete ascer- protection concerns because these are far more common than tainment of mortality and cancer incidence, nearly 60 y high-exposure scenarios. Epidemiologic studies of human pop- ulations with low-dose or low dose-rate exposures are one of follow-up, and ancillary data on other disease risk approach to addressing those concerns. A number of large factors (e.g., smoking) (Preston et al. 2007). Importantly, studies of radiation workers (Chernobyl clean-up workers, while the atomic bomb study is usually thought of as a U.S. and Chinese radiological technologists, and the 15- “high-dose” study, in fact about 85% of the exposed country worker study) or of persons exposed to environmental radiation at moderate to low levels (residents near Techa cohort have estimated doses under 0.2 Gy and 80% u