Low- and moderate-dose non-cancer effects of ionizing radiation in directly exposed individuals, especially circulatory and ocular diseases: a review of the epidemiology.

CONCLUSIONS: We document statistically significant excess risk of the major types of circulatory disease, specifically ischemic heart disease and stroke, in moderate- or low-dose exposed groups, with some not altogether consistent evidence suggesting dose response non-linearity, particularly for stroke. However, the patterns of risk reported are not straightforward. We also document evidence of excess risks at lower doses/dose-rates of posterior subcapsular and cortical cataract in the Chernobyl liquidators, US Radiologic Technologists and Russian Mayak nuclear workers, with fundamentally linear dose response. Nuclear cataracts are less radiogenic. For other ocular endpoints, specifically glaucoma and macular degeneration there is very little evidence of effects at low doses; radiation-associated glaucoma has been documented only for doses >5 Gy, and so has the characteristics of a tissue reaction. There is some evidence of neurological detriment following low-moderate dose (∼0.1-0.2 Gy) radiation exposure in utero or in early childhood. PMID: 33471563 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: International Journal of Radiation Biology - Category: Radiology Tags: Int J Radiat Biol Source Type: research