A holistic view of low-level radiation effects in biological systems

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Abstract
Living organisms have been exposed to background radiation during all their evolution. Repair systems suited to counteract the inflicted damage have developed. It is hypothesized that the level of background radiation is "sensed" by organisms via the low-energy thermalized part of the absorbed energy, thus allowing for long-term "pre-emptive" adjustment of inducible repair capacity. The high-energy (> 100 eV) absorption events cause damage that must be accommodated post hoc by means of stabilizing elements (heat-shock proteins?) and subsequent palliative or restorative repair. The complexity of the reactions and interactions may lead to nonhomogeneous dose–effect curves in the low-dose range. The analysis is developed and discussed on the basis of experimental and epidemiological data that are informative in this context. Dose rates of 0.25 mGy/day and less appear to cause little change in repair capacity. Acute doses of 4 mGy and higher lead to increased repair. Acute doses of up to 250 mGy cause abruptly increasing damage with dose. A plateau of damage, independent of doses in the range following the abrupt increase, indicates a prompt stabilization of damage and subsequent repair. Thus, the reaction pattern is influenced by dose, dose rate, and radiation quality, as well as biological factors.

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