Re: ICRP/NCRP Risk Factor Use

["Otto G. Raabe" <ograabe@ucdavis.edu>]

October 26, 1998
Davis, CA

If one cellular DNA interaction from some minuscule unit of radiation dose
has a certain independent probability of causing cancer, then two events or
twice that dose involves twice the risk, and 1,000,000 times that dose has
1,000,000 times the risk, and so on. If you firmly believe that this
mechanistic model applies to radiation induced cancer, as do Roger Clark of
the ICRP and Warren Sinclair of the NCRP, then it makes no difference if
the irradiated cells are in one person or distributed among a large number
of people (collective dose). The risk will still be the same...

Otto
		*****************************************************
		Prof. Otto G. Raabe, Ph.D., CHP
              Institute of Toxicology & Environmental Health (ITEH)
		     (Street address: Old Davis Road)
		University of California, Davis, CA 95616
		Phone: 530-752-7754  FAX: 530-758-6140
		E-mail ograabe@ucdavis.edu
              *****************************************************
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