Current guidelines for limiting exposure of humans to ionizing radiation are based on the linear-no-threshold (LNT) hypothesis for radiation carcinogenesis under which cancer risk increases linearly as the radiation dose increases. With the LNT model even a very small dose could cause cancer and the model is used in establishing guidelines for limiting radiation exposure of humans. A slope chan...

The question of whether very small doses of ionizing radiation really exert stochastic effects (i.e. induce harmful genetic effects, including cancer in a probablistic manner) has not been unequivocally settled. The much relied upon linear, no-threshold (LNT) hypothesis does not have convincing experimental evidence. As there are practical difficulties in generating data on genetic effects at v...

Current understanding of risk associated with low-dose radiation exposure has for many years been embedded in the linear-no-threshold (LNT) approach, based on simple extrapolation from the Japanese atomic bomb survivors. Radiation biology research has supported the LNT approach although much of this has been limited to relatively high-dose studies. Recently, with new advances for studying effec...

Three aspects of hormesis with low doses of ionizing radiation are presented: the good, the bad, and the ugly. The good is acceptance by France, Japan, and China of the thousands of studies showing stimulation and/or benefit, with no harm, from low dose irradiation. This includes thousands of people who live in good health with high background radiation. The bad is the nonacceptance of radiatio...

INTRODUCTION. It is commonly stated that " any radiation dose, no matter how small, can cause cancer ". The basis for that statement is the linear-no threshold theory (LNT) of radiation carcinogenesis. According to LNT, if 1 Gy (100 rads) of exposure gives a cancer risk R, the risk from 0.01 Gy (1 rad) of exposure is R/100, the risk from 0.00001 Gy (1 millirad) is R/ 100,000, and so on. Thus th...

The linear no-threshold (LNT) model of ionizing-radiation-induced cancer is based on the assumption that every radiation dose increment constitutes increased cancer risk for humans. The risk is hypothesized to increase linearly as the total dose increases. While this model is the basis for radiation safety regulations, its scientific validity has been questioned and debated for many decades. Th...

O ver the past several years, many sources of information have emerged regarding the potential risks of low-dose ionizing radiation from medical imaging. Many published educational materials and scientific studies have heightened awareness among patients, the public, and medical professionals. The press has extensively reported on this topic, sometimes omitting nuances regarding the strength of...