Quantities for assessing high doses to the body: a short review of the current status
Tissue reactions are the most clinically significant consequences of high-dose exposures to ionizing
radiation. However, there is currently no universally recognized or recommended dose quantity that
can be used to assess generalized risks to individuals following whole body exposures in the
high-dose range. This is particularly problematic in emergency response situations, for example,
following external exposures of large numbers of individuals: in attempts to relate the triage
dosemeter absorbed dose to the risk to the individual, such that a ‘dose’ may subsequently be
reported to medical professionals, it is necessary to first agree on the quantity to be reported.
The current paper presents a brief review of the likely scenarios and emergency dosimetry techniques
that require such a quantity, before examining the biological constraints and requirements that
might underpin any future definition. The aim of this work is to outline the arguments for
developing a commonly agreed...
Source: Journal of Radiological Protection - Category: Physics Authors: Jonathan S Eakins and Elizabeth A Ainsbury Source Type: research
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