Re: Research Subject Doses

[rkathren@tricity.wsu.edu (Ron L. Kathren)]

Zero, if the end point you are considering has a threshold >0.5 rem.  More
seriously, application of the LNT for all endpoints and all ages seems to me
to be an oversimplification; one needs to consider the specific end point,
dose rate and the nuclide as well -- eg the risk from thyroid tumors might
be the dominant factor if the nuclide to be injected were elemental I-131.

Just some thoughts and musings.

Best wishes to you for a happy new year,

Ron Kathren

  At 02:32 PM 12/29/97 -0600, Chuck Pickering wrote:
>Happy Holidays,
>
>All you Linear and Non-linear combatants please sharpen your pencils. 
>I am reviewing a human subject research study that proposes to expose 
>the subjects to a dose (TEDE) of 0.5 Rem. Extrapolating LINEARLY from 
>BEIR 5 data suggests that the risk from participating in this study is 
>about 4 deaths per 10,000 (10 Rem = 800 per 100,000). 
>
>I am deliberately not giving you all the information on radionuclide, 
>dose schedule, administered dose, etc. I am interested in your 
>thoughts on extrapolating in this fashion and if you have suggestions 
>on what the risk might be if one extrapolated using a non-linear 
>method.
>
>Chuck Pickering, RSO
>University of Southern California
>(213) 342-2200
>(213) 342-2201 Fax
>cpickering@engr-serv.usc.edu
>
>