Overview
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ABSTRACT
Human organisms are subjected to several types of ionizing radiation. Whether they are of natural and medical origin for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes as well as environmental on the occasion of controlled discharges of radionuclides, such exposures are declared harmless for human health. Reversely, accidents can expose a group of persons to acute high-dose exposures. The study of these populations has allowed for increased knowledge of the health effects of ionizing radiation. Their findings corroborate the experimental results of toxicological studies, notably concerning the evolution of cancer pathologies. The knowledge drawn from these accidents is also used in the case of exposure to low doses and in chronic situations.
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Read the articleAUTHORS
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François PAQUET: Senior expert at the French Institute for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN) - Program Coordinator - Professor at the French National Institute for Nuclear Science and Technology (INSTN) - Member of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP)
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Dominique THIERRY: HDR, Head of the Scientific and Technical Knowledge Engineering Division in the Scientific Department of the French Institute for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN).
INTRODUCTION
Human organisms are constantly exposed to ionizing radiation. These exposures can be of natural origin, through radon inhalation for example, medical for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes, or industrial through controlled releases of radionuclides into the environment. These situations generally lead to exposure to low doses of radiation, described by UNSCEAR as not very harmful to human health . In contrast to these situations, accidental events can lead to overexposure of a variable number of people. The monitoring of people exposed to ionizing radiation is highly informative, and has made it possible to increase our knowledge of the health effects of ionizing radiation. The following text describes a number of cases of irradiation and accidental contamination, and attempts to highlight the lessons learned from these exposures. The aim of this article is not to deal with the human or technical malfunctions that led to such events, but to focus on the contribution these accidents have made to general knowledge of the health effects of ionizing radiation and to the development of new therapies. A few significant examples have been selected, representative of situations involving accidental, occupational or environmental exposure. At the end of this document, particular attention is paid to the debate on the effects of exposure to low doses of ionizing radiation, the outcome of which could eventually lead us to question the validity of certain concepts in the radiation protection system.
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