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Radiation Hormesis, or, Could All That Radiation Be Good for Us?

Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, Washington

ABSTRACT

Objective:Nuclear medicine technologists work under significant radiation protection constraints. These constraints are based on the linear no-threshold (LNT) radiation paradigm, which was developed in the 1960s and was based largely on the deleterious effects of radiation as they were understood at the time. More recently, the theory of radiation hormesis, or a beneficial effect of low-level exposure to radiation, has gained recognition. This article reviews the history of attitudes toward radiation, describes the radiation hormesis hypothesis, examines some of the evidence that supports it, and suggests ways that radiation protection regulations might change if the hypothesis were to become accepted.

Key Words: radiation hormesis; radiobiology; effects of radiation

This article has been cited by other articles:

				F. Poppe and J. L. Prekeges Health Risks from Ionizing Radiation J. Nucl. Med. Technol., September 1, 2003; 31(3): 173 - 173. [Full Text] [PDF]