Types of Effects
When considering health effects of radiation on human body, one method is to separately consider deterministic effects and stochastic effects. The above figure compiles these two effects.
Deterministic effects do not appear unless having been exposed to radiation exceeding a certain level. Most of the deterministic effects are categorized into acute disorders whose symptoms appear within several weeks after exposure.
Stochastic effects are effects whose incidence cannot be completely denied even with low-dose exposure. They are managed on the safe side in general under the assumption that there is no threshold value.
However, it has not been confirmed that hereditary disorders due to radiation exposure appear among human beings at the same frequencies as confirmed among laboratory animals.
(Related to p.79 of Vol. 1, "Classification of Radiation Effects," and p.80 of Vol. 1, "Deterministic Effects and Stochastic Effects")
- Included in this reference material on March 31, 2013
- Updated on March 31, 2015