title: Is the Linear No-Threshold Dose-Response Paradigm Still Necessary for the Assessment of Health Effects of Low Dose Radiation?
abstract: Inevitable human exposure to ionizing radiation from man-made sources has been increased with the proceeding of human civilization and consequently public concerns focus on the possible risk to human health. Moreover, Fukushima nuclear power plant accidents after the 2011 East-Japan earthquake and tsunami has brought the great fear and anxiety for the exposure of radiation at low levels, even much lower levels similar to natural background. Health effects of low dose radiation less than 100 mSv have been debated whether they are beneficial or detrimental because sample sizes were not large enough to allow epidemiological detection of excess effects and there was lack of consistency among the available experimental data. We have reviewed an extensive literature on the low dose radiation effects in both radiation biology and epidemiology, and highlighted some of the controversies therein. This article could provide a reasonable view of utilizing radiation for human life and responding to the public questions about radiation risk. In addition, it suggests the necessity of integrated studies of radiobiology and epidemiology at the national level in order to collect more systematic and profound information about health effects of low dose radiation.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Radiation Exposure & Therapeutics, National Radiation Emergency Medical Center, Korea Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences, Seoul, Korea .
authors.forename: Ki Moon
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-3530-5587
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Seong
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Radiation Exposure & Therapeutics, National Radiation Emergency Medical Center, Korea Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences, Seoul, Korea .
authors.forename: Songwon
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-6200-5120
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Seo
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Radiation Exposure & Therapeutics, National Radiation Emergency Medical Center, Korea Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences, Seoul, Korea .
authors.forename: Dalnim
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-5008-6082
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Radiation Exposure & Therapeutics, National Radiation Emergency Medical Center, Korea Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences, Seoul, Korea .
authors.forename: Min-Jeong
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-5571-513X
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Radiation Exposure & Therapeutics, National Radiation Emergency Medical Center, Korea Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences, Seoul, Korea .
authors.forename: Seung-Sook
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-6714-5851
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Radiation Exposure & Therapeutics, National Radiation Emergency Medical Center, Korea Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences, Seoul, Korea .
authors.forename: Sunhoo
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-1362-9428
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Radiation Exposure & Therapeutics, National Radiation Emergency Medical Center, Korea Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences, Seoul, Korea .
authors.forename: Young Woo
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-0029-9028
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Jin
mesh_terms: D004249:DNA Damage / Q000187:drug effects; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D006801:Humans; D007938:Leukemia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D009381:Neoplasms, Radiation-Induced / Q000453:epidemiology; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011836:Radiation Tolerance; D011839:Radiation, Ionizing; D018788:Radioactive Hazard Release; D012306:Risk
keywords: Epidemiology; Health Effects; LNT Model; Low Dose Radiation; Radiobiology