Basic Review of Radiation Biology and

Terminology
Norman E. Bolus
Nuclear Medicine Technology Program, Division of Medical Imaging and Therapy, School of Health Related Professions, University
of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama

Objective: The purpose of this paper is to review basic

radiation biology and associated terminology to impart a
better understanding of the importance of basic concepts of
ionizing radiation interactions with living tissue. As health
care workers in a field that utilizes ionizing radiation, nuclear
medicine technologists are concerned about the possible
acute and chronic effects of occupational radiation exposure. Technologists should have a clear understanding of
what they are exposed to and how their safety could be
affected. Furthermore, technologists should be knowledgeable about radiation effects so that they can adequately
assuage possible patient fears about undergoing a nuclear
medicine procedure. After reading this article, the nuclear
medicine technologist will be familiar with: (a) basic radiation
biology concepts; (b) types of interactions of radiation with
living tissue, and possible effects from that exposure; (c)
theoretical doseresponse curves and how they are used in
radiation biology; (d) stochastic versus nonstochastic effects
of radiation exposure, and what these terms mean in relation
to both high- and low-dose radiation exposure; and (e) possible acute and chronic radiation exposure effects.
Key Words: radiation biology; radiation exposure; stochastic radiation effects; nonstochastic radiation effects; acute
radiation effects; chronic radiation effects
J Nucl Med Technol 2001; 29:6773
BASIC RADIATION BIOLOGY CONCEPTS

asic radiation biology concepts include the traditional

assumptions of Bergonie and Tribondeau, who stated in
1906 that any cells that are immature, undifferentiated and
actively dividing (i.e., stomach mucosa, basal layer of skin,
stem cells) are more radiosensitive. They respond by exhibiting some effect from radiation exposure that causes cell
injury or death. Cells that are mature, differentiated and not
actively dividing (i.e., neurons) are more radioresistant. A

cell that is radiosensitive would be more inclined to die after

exposure to ionizing radiation than a radioresistant cell (1).
Although new terms such as more or less radioresponsive
are now being used, the basic tenets of their hypothesis hold
true for living tissue reactions to ionizing radiation (2).
Therefore, cells undergoing active mitosis are more likely to
have an effect from ionizing radiation, and stem cells (bone
marrow, stomach mucosa, germ layer of the skin) are much
more radiosensitive than neurons, which either never replicate or do so very slowly. Experiments in fruit flies and
mice have shown that the effects of ionizing radiation can
cause mutations in progeny, but these mutations are not
specific to radiation. Such mutations are similar to ones that
have already been found to occur spontaneously in nature.
Furthermore, the experiments showed that the effects of
ionizing radiation depend on total dose and exposure rate. A
large dose given in a short amount of time is more damaging
than the same dose given over a longer period of time (3).
The interaction of radiation with cells is a probability
function. Because cellular repair usually takes place, permanent damage will not necessarily result from an interaction of ionizing radiation with living tissue. Energy deposition to a cell occurs very quickly, in some 1018 s, with
the energy being deposited in the cell in a random fashion.
All interactions happen on a cellular level, which in turn
may affect the organ and the entire system. In addition,
there is no unique cellular damage associated with radiation.
Any damage to a cell due to radiation exposure may also
happen due to chemical, heat, or physical damage. After
radiation exposure to a cell, there is a latent period before
any observable response. The latent period could be decades
for low radiation doses, but only minutes or hours for high
radiation exposure. These basic generalizations form the
foundation on which radiation biology is based (4).
RADIATION INTERACTIONS WITH HUMAN CELLS

For correspondence or reprints contact: Norman E. Bolus, Assistant

Professor, UAB, LRC Building, Rm. 371-A, 1714 Ninth Avenue South,
Birmingham, Alabama, 35294-1270; Phone: 205-934-2004; Fax: 205975-7302; E-mail: [email protected].

VOLUME 29, NUMBER 2, JUNE 2001

What happens in a cell when ionizing radiation interacts

with it? There are really only 2 possibilities: direct interaction or indirect interaction in a cell.

67

Direct Interaction

In direct interaction, a cells macromolecules (proteins or

DNA) are hit by the ionizing radiation, which affects the
cell as a whole, either killing the cell or mutating the DNA
(2). There are many target and cell survival studies that
show that it is harder to permanently destroy or break
double-stranded DNA than single-stranded DNA. Although
humans have 23 pairs of double-stranded chromosomes,
some cells react as if they contain single-stranded, nonpaired chromosomes and are more radiosensitive. Many
different types of direct hits can occur, and the type of
damage that occurs determines whether or not the cell can
repair itself. Generally, if a direct hit causes a complete
break in the DNA or some other permanent damage, the cell
dies immediately or will die eventually (5). However, humans have an abundance of cells and somatic cellular reproduction (mitosis) is always occurring to replace cells that
die. Therefore, it is only when this system of replacing cells
falters that radiation effects are seen. This occurs at higher
doses of radiation.
Actively dividing cells are more radiosensitive than nondividing cells. There are 4 phases of mitosis: M Phase, in
which cells divide in 2; G1 Phase (gap one), in which cells
prepare for DNA replication; S Phase, in which DNA doubles by replication; and G2 Phase (gap two), in which cells
prepare for mitosis. Of these, M phase, in which the chromosomes are condensed and paired, is the most radiosensitive. More DNA is present in one area at this point in the
cycle, which is why it is theorized that this is the most
radiosensitive time. It is also thought that increased chromatin in cancer cells is why these cells, which have unusually high mitotic rates, are more radiosensitive than normal
cells (6).
Indirect Interaction

The other type of interaction is indirect cellular interaction. Indirect interaction occurs when radiation energy is
deposited in the cell, and the radiation interacts with cellular
water rather than with macromolecules within the cell. The
reaction that occurs is hydrolysis of the water molecule,
resulting in a hydrogen molecule and hydroxyl (free radical)
molecule. If the 2 hydroxyl molecules recombine, they form
hydrogen peroxide, which is highly unstable in the cell. This
will form a peroxide hydroxyl, which readily combines with
some organic compound, which then combines in the cell to
form an organic hydrogen peroxide molecule, which is
stable. This may result in the loss of an essential enzyme in
the cell, which could lead to cell death or a future mutation
of the cell (Table 1) (5). Antioxidants, about which there has
been much research and publicity, block hydroxyl (free
radical) recombination into hydrogen peroxide, preventing
stable organic hydrogen peroxide compounds from occurring. This is one way in which the body can defend itself
from indirect radiation interactions on a cellular level, and is
one reason that antioxidants have received so much attention recently as a cancer prevention agent (7).

68

TABLE 1
Hydrolysis of Water (5)
H2O (molecule) ionizing radiation 3 H OH
(hydroxyl, free radical)
Recombination of:
H H 3 H2 hydrogen gas (not a problem)
H OH 3 H2O water (not a problem)
Antioxidants can recombine with the OH free radical and block
hydrogen peroxide formation. If not, then the 2 hydroxyl ions
could do the following:
OH OH 3 H2O2 hydrogen peroxide formation
H2O2 3 H HO2 unstable peroxide
2
HO organic molecule 3 stable organic peroxide
stable organic peroxide 3 lack of essential enzyme 3
eventual cell death is possible

CELLULAR INJURY

There are 3 ways for cellular injury to occur after ionizing

radiation exposure. They are: 1) division delay, with dosedependent delay in cell division; 2) reproductive failure,
when cells fail to complete mitosis either immediately or
after one or more generations; and 3) interphase death, a
relatively prompt death caused by the apoptosis mechanism.
The last is seen most commonly with lymphocytes, although some cancer cells show apoptosis in response to
radiation.
In division delay, mitotic division is delayed but later returns
to near normal for unknown reasons. This is seen in doses
greater than 0.5Gy (50 rads) up to approximately 3 Gy (300
rads). This is the first observable effect from ionizing radiation
exposure. At more than 3 Gy (300 rads), the mitotic rate does
not recover and the division may never happen, thus killing the
cell.
Reproductive failure of a cell is based on the dose. At
levels at or below 1.5 Gy (150 rads), reproductive failure is
random and nonlinear. At doses above 1.5 Gy (150 rads), it
is linear and nonrandom. As dose increases, so does reproductive death.
In interphase death, cell death can occur many generations from the initial radiation exposure. It is thought that
this is either a natural process of aging cells (apoptosis), or
that a critical mechanism of cell replication has been altered.
It depends on the type of cell affected and the dose to the
cell. Generally, rapidly dividing, undifferentiated cells exhibit interphase death at lower doses than nondividing,
differentiated cells.
Any of these types of cellular injury can happen as a
result of either direct or indirect cellular interactions with
radiation (5).
DOSERESPONSE MODELS

There are many different theoretical types of dose

response models used to explain the effects of radiation

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able (ALARA) principle and the linearno threshold dose

response model are used.
LinearThreshold Model

FIGURE 1.

This figure shows dose curves that correspond to

the dose models described in text. Data are measured at high dose
levels and then, using curve-fitting techniques, extrapolated to estimate low dose portion of the curve. Low dose data points shown
on these curves are thus estimated, not measured.

exposure. Different models suggest different possibilities of

response to radiation exposure. These range from linearno
threshold, which suggests any exposure (even background
radiation) is harmful, to the possibility that low-dose radiation exposure is beneficial (radiation hormesis). Three dose
response models used in radiation biology are: 1) linearno
threshold, 2) linearthreshold, and 3) linear quadratic. These
doseresponse models are used to extrapolate high-dose effects
(which are known) to the low-dose range (which has not been
reliably detected) (Fig. 1).
LinearNo Threshold Model

For any known carcinogen at any level of exposure (i.e.,

benzene, asbestos, high-dose radiation) a linearno threshold doseresponse model is used across all industries. This
model states that any radiation exposure, no matter how
small, can induce cancer. While this is a possibility, generally no clinical effects are seen below approximately 0.5 Gy
(50 rads). The linearno threshold doseresponse model is
used for regulatory purposes, whenever a xenobiotic or
other carcinogenic agent is known at any dose level (9).
At high doses, or more than 0.5 Gy (50 rad), clinical
symptoms of radiation start to appear; at much higher doses,
radiation exposure is clearly a known carcinogen, primarily
due to its mutagenic effect on cells. The greatest association
is with leukemia (8). However, it is difficult to say that any
cancer is solely caused by radiation exposure, as cancer may
be caused by a combination of factors. Because it is best to
err on the side of caution, the as low as reasonably achiev-

VOLUME 29, NUMBER 2, JUNE 2001

The linearthreshold doseresponse model consists of a

known threshold below which no effects are seen. At the
threshold level, effects are noticeable and increase linearly
as the dose increases. This is the doseresponse model that
may make the most sense to use, because it is generally
accepted that there are no clinical effects seen from radiation exposure at or below 0.5 Gy (50 rads). In 1996, the
Health Physics Society released the following position
statement on low-level radiation (10): In accordance with
current knowledge of radiation health risks, the Health
Physics Society recommends against quantitative estimation
of health risks below an individual dose of 0.05 Sv (5 rem)
in one year, or a lifetime dose of 0.1 Sv (10 rem) in addition
to background radiation. Risk estimation in this dose range
should be strictly qualitative accentuating a range of hypothetical health outcomes with an emphasis on the likely
possibility of zero adverse health effects. The current philosophy of radiation protection is based on the assumption
that any radiation dose, no matter how small, may result in
human health effects, such as cancer and hereditary genetic

TABLE 2
Summary of Nonstochastic (Deterministic) Effects (5)
Hematologic Syndrome
Dose: Approximately 110 Gy (1001000 rad)
Clinical Symptoms: General injury of blood-forming cells in bone
marrow, which increases with increasing dose, leading to
pancytopenia. This results in bleeding, anemia, hemorrhage,
malaise and severe, often fatal, infection.
Treatment: 01 Gy (0100 rad)Reassurance
12 Gy (100200 rad)Reassurance and hematologic
surveillance
26 Gy (200600 rad)Blood transfusion and antibiotics
610 Gy (6001000 rad)Consider bone marrow transplant
Without treatment, no one has survived a single abrupt dose of 5
Gy (500 rads) or higher. It is possible to survive the
hematologic syndrome with a bone marrow transplant, but at
higher doses all subjects will die from the gastrointestinal
syndrome.
Gastrointestinal Syndrome
Dose: Approximately 250 Gy (2005000 rad)
Clinical Symptoms: Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea (NVD),
prolonged diarrhea, dehydration, electrolyte imbalance,
lethargy, anorexia, death above 10 Gy (1000 rads) with no
treatment.
Treatment: 26 Gy (200600 rad)Blood transfusion and
antibiotics
610 Gy (6001000 rad)Consider bone marrow transplant
1050 Gy (10005000 rad)Maintenance of electrolyte balance
At about 2 Gy (200 rads), classic radiation sickness (nausea,
vomiting and diarrhea [NVD]) may begin because of radiation
injury to the gastric and intestinal mucosa.
Central Nervous System Syndrome
Dose: 50 Gy (5000 rads)
Clinical Symptoms: Ataxia, convulsions, lethargy, coma, death
Treatment: Sedatives

69

damage. There is substantial and convincing scientific evidence for health risks at high dose. Below 0.1 Sv (10 rem)
(which includes occupational and environmental exposures)
risks of health effects are either too small to be observed or
are nonexistent. Although this position statement suggests
levels 5-fold less for clinical effects, it still indicates that a
threshold does exist to a certain degree in radiation exposure. This statement favors a linearthreshold doseresponse model with a threshold of 0.1 Sv (10 rems).
Linear Quadratic Model

The linear quadratic doseresponse model is used for overall

human response to radiation exposure. Response at low levels
of radiation exposure are linear, while higher doses are quadratic. There is no threshold in this doseresponse model. In
cell survival theories, the linear quadratic doseresponse model
is used to represent the multiple target/single hit theory. This
theory best explains the reaction of human cells to ionizing
radiation exposure.
Summary of DoseResponse Models

It is important to remember that for all doseresponse

models, the dose makes the poison. Perhaps this is best
stated by Paracelsus, who is considered the father of toxicology: All substances are poisons; there is none which is
not a poison. The right dose differentiates a poison from a
remedy. (11) Generally, as the dose increases, response
increases to a toxic point; in other words, anything in excess
can be toxic. Radiation doseresponse models vary depending on what is being analyzed. It is important to remember
that there is evidence to suggest a possible threshold for
radiation exposure that would favor the linearthreshold
doseresponse model. Also, any doseresponse model for
radiation in the lower levels is extrapolated from what is
known at high-dose levels. Thus, any lower level response
from radiation is only theorized, not proven. The only
accepted doseresponse model by the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) is the linearno threshold doseresponse model, which suggests that any radiation exposure
can lead to cancer induction.
STOCHASTIC VERSUS NONSTOCHASTIC EFFECTS OF
RADIATION EXPOSURE

Stochastic means random in nature. There is a statistical

accounting for all diseases that could be caused by any of
several different xenobiotics or carcinogens; any random
occurrence of a disease that cannot be attributed solely to
radiation is stochastic in nature. As far as cancer is concerned, it is extremely difficult to say whether a particular
cancer is attributable to a specific exposure because most
cancers have a 20-y latency period from exposure to manifestation. Therefore, chronic low-dose radiation exposure
effects are seen as stochastic in nature. At diagnostic levels,
where doses are low, stochastic effects are random and the
odds of having any effect are extremely low. A few people
may experience an effect from the radiation exposure, but
this cannot be predicted. Radiation risks from diagnostic

70

imaging are considered to be stochastic in nature. Also,

heredity effects and carcinogenesis are considered to be
stochastic in nature (5).
Ionizing radiation at high doses causes certain specific
effects. Therefore, at certain doses, certain predictable outcomes can be determined. These are called nonstochastic, or
deterministic, effects. These effects are very predictable and
range from blood and chromosome aberrations to radiation
sickness to certain death, depending on the dose, the dose
rate, age, immune capacity of an individual, and type of
radiation exposure.
For gamma and x-ray radiation, exposure measured in
Grays and Sieverts (rads and rems) is equal; however, this
is not true of neutron radiation, or when the quality factor is
greater than 1 for the conversion between rads and rems.
Nonstochastic (deterministic) effects include: hematologic
syndrome (pancytopenia), erythema, gastrointestinal (GI)
syndrome (radiation sickness) and central nervous system
(CNS) syndrome (Table 2).
One concept used to gauge toxicity is that of the lethal
dose to 50% of the population (LD50) exposed to the agent
observed at a specific time. The LD50 at 30 d (LD50/30) for
humans due to ionizing radiation exposure is approximately
2.5 Gy 4.5 Gy (250 450 rad). This estimate for humans
varies between different sources and is primarily empirical.
Therefore, concrete data are not available. In other organisms, the LD50/30 factor has been established through experiments (Table 3) (5).
ACUTE VERSUS CHRONIC EFFECTS
Acute Radiation Effects

Acute ionizing radiation exposure is harmless at background or diagnostic levels, but is nonstochastic and harmful at high-dose levels. At or above approximately 0.5 Gy
(50 rads), acute effects are predictable and follow a linear
path. Some chromosome aberrations may be seen under a
microscope at or below 0.5 Gy (50 rads), but no clinical
symptoms have been found to manifest from this observation. However, this can be used as a bioassay technique
years after an acute exposure. Table 4 shows the generally
accepted acute effects and symptoms these dose ranges can
be expected to manifest (8). There is a sequelae of acute
ionizing radiation exposure from which certain well-defined
syndromes can be expected (Table 5) (5).
In radiation therapy, acute nonstochastic effects of radi-

TABLE 3
LD50/30 Values for Different Species (5)
Cockroach
Rabbit
Goldfish
Rat
Mouse
Monkey
Humans

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50 Gy (5000 rads)
8 Gy (800 rads)
7.5 Gy (750 rads)
6 Gy (600 rads)
4.5 Gy (450 rads)
4.5 Gy (450 rads)
2.54.5 Gy (250450 rads)

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TABLE 4
Summary of Acute Clinical Effects of Ionizing Radiation (9)
Subclinical
Range

Therapeutic Range

Lethal Range

Acute
Radiation
Exposure in
Sieverts
(rems) 3
Treatment
required

01 Sv
(0100)

12 Sv
(100200)

26 Sv
(200600)

610 Sv
(6001000)

1050 Sv
(10005000)

50 Sv
(5000)

Reassurance

Consider
bone
marrow
transplant
Therapy
Promising

Sedatives

None
needed

Blood
transfusion
and
antibiotics
Effective

Maintenance
of electrolyte
balance

Overall
treatment
plan
Incidence of
vomiting

Reassurance
and
hematologic
surveillance
Observation

Palliative

Palliative

100% at 3
Sv (300
rem)

100%

100%

100%

Delay time
prior to
vomiting
Leading
organ
affected
Characteristic
Sign(s)

N/A

5% at 1 Sv
(100 rem);
50% at 2
Sv (200
rem)
3h

2h

1h

30 min

30 min

Bloodforming
tissue
Mild
leukopenia

Bloodforming
tissue
Severe
leukopenia;
infections;
erythema

GI tract

CNS

Diarrhea; fever;
electrolyte
imbalance

Convulsions;
tremor;
ataxia;
lethargy

Critical period
post
exposure
Prognosis
Incidence of
death
Cause of
death

N/A

N/A

Bloodforming
tissue
Severe
leukopenia;
hemorrhage;
hair loss
above 3
Sv (300
rems)
46 wk

46 wk

514 d

148 h

Excellent
None

Excellent
None

Good
080%

Guarded
80%100%

Hopeless
90%100%

Hopeless
90%100%

N/A

N/A

Hemorrhage
and
infection

Hemorrhage
and
infection

Circulatory
collapse

Respiratory
failure and
brain
edema

None

None

None

TABLE 5
Staging of Acute Radiation Syndromes (5)
Prodromal Phase: (Prodromal means running before)
Signs and symptoms include NVD, hair loss above 3 Gy (300
rads), skin erythema above 6 Gy (600 rads)
Latent Phase:
Period of no signs or symptoms
Manifest Phase:
NVD returns, hematologic syndrome, GI Syndrome, CNS
syndrome signs and symptoms return to prodromal levels or
worse.
Recovery Phase:
If good treatment is provided and the affect individual received
less than a 10-Gy (1000 rads) dose, recovery is possible after
the Manifest Phase.

VOLUME 29, NUMBER 2, JUNE 2001

ation exposure include radiation fibrosis in the lung when

normal lung tissue is exposed. Other tissues that show
effects are the kidney, brain and spinal cord. Because tissue
injury is known to occur if a certain threshold is exceeded,
there are well-established guidelines in radiotherapy to
avoid exceeding a specific dose (12).
Chronic Radiation Effects

Chronic effects of ionizing radiation exposure are primarily stochastic. The chief concern is possible cancer induction. However, noncancerous effects are possible, such as
cataract formation in the eye. This would be a possible
stochastic chronic effect with a probability that increases
with increasing dose. Radiation doses of 500 800 R directed at the lens of the eye can cause formation of cataracts.
At lower doses, damage is similar to senile cataracts, but is

71

TABLE 6
Average Annual Effective Dose Equivalent to a Member
of the U.S. Population (15)

Source/Radiopharmaceutical
Average annual dose to U.S.
population from all
sources
Natural radon exposure
X-ray diagnosis
Nuclear medicine
Consumer products
Cosmic radiation
Terrestrial radiation

Effective/Whole Body
Dose cGy (rads)

0.36
0.027
0.039
0.014
0.010
0.027
0.028

less severe. Another possible chronic stochastic effect is

shortening of the life span. Although there is no conclusive
evidence of such, it is theorized in some literature (8).
Leukemia has been associated as a stochastic effect of
chronic radiation exposure with doses as low as 50 100
cGy (50 100 rads). Between 100 500 cGy (100 500 rads),
there is a linear correlation between dose and leukemia
incidence. Data suggest that incidence of leukemia increases at a rate of 12 cases per million per year per cGy
(1 rad) as a result of exposure. There is an average latency
period of 14 y from exposure to onset of disease. Higher
doses of ionizing radiation have also been associated with
thyroid, bone, lung, and various other cancers (8).
Interestingly, there is no conclusive evidence that chronic
low-dose radiation exposure causes any long-term ill health
effects in workers in the medical field (13). Furthermore,
there is no evidence to suggest that regular background
amounts of radiation exposure cause any long-term effects.
Table 6 indicates the average annual effective dose equivalent of ionizing radiation to a member of the U.S. population. Relative to the amounts of radiation that elicit a known
response, these levels are low. Likewise, the amounts of
whole-body doses of radiation that patients receive from
TABLE 7
Whole-Body Patient Doses from Nuclear
Medicine Procedures (16)
Radiopharmaceutical
67

Ga citrate
T1 chloride
18
F FDG
123
I iodide
99m
Tc sulfur colloid
99m
Tc MIBI
99m
Tc DTPA
99m
Tc DISIDA
99m
Tc MAA
99m
Tc HMPAO
99m
Tc pertechnetate
99m
Tc MDP
99m
Tc MAG3
201

72

cGy/mCi (rads/mCi)
0.26
0.21
0.04
0.03
0.019
0.017
0.016
0.016
0.015
0.013
0.011
0.007
0.007

TABLE 8
Occupational Dose LimitsTotal Effective
Dose Equivalent Limits (16)
Region of Body

Annual Limit in cSv (rems)

Whole-body
Extremities (hand, forearm)
Skin
Any internal organ
Lens of the eye

5
50
50
50
15

Cumulative lifetime dose 1 cSv (rem) age.

Fetal dose 0.5 cSv(rem)/9 mo, not to exceed 0.05 cSv(rem)/mo.
General public in nonrestricted areas 0.002 cSv(rems)/h or 0.1
cSv(rem)/y.

various nuclear medicine procedures are low, as seen in

Table 7. Technologists should monitor their radiation dosimetry reports to track their own occupational exposure.
However, technologists that stay below the accepted occupational dose limits should not expect to experience any ill
effects.
CONCLUSION

This brief synopsis of radiation biology is intended as a

review of radiation biology terminology and concepts. Unfortunately, conclusive information is elusive at the low-dose
levels of radiation exposure that technologists encounter. Stochastic low-dose radiation exposure effects are only theorized
from extrapolating data from known responses of high-dose
radiation exposure. High-dose radiation effects are well-established and follow nonstochastic (deterministic) responses. In
the safety industry, protection of personnel working with
known carcinogens is paramount. The radiation industry is no
different than other industries that have threshold limit values
(TLVs) and biological exposure indices (BEIs) for worker
exposure. These allowed limits offer a guideline for acceptable
exposure, below which no ill effects are expected. In the
radiation industry, these are known as total effective dose
equivalents (TEDEs) (Table 8).
Radiation biology is a diverse field that covers many
areas of knowledge, including cell biology, chemistry, radiation physics, human physiology, radiation safety, epidemiology, biostatistics and toxicology. Information about
this topic continues to evolve as more knowledge is obtained about ionizing radiation interactions with cells. It can
be confusing to delve into radiation biology without understanding the basic concepts outlined in this article. Be aware
that this overview barely begins to discuss all of the information available about radiation biology.
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