ABSTRACT
The interaction of ionizing radiation with the human body, arising either from external sources outside the body or from internal contamination of the body by radioactive substances, leads to biological effects which may later show up as clinical symptoms. The nature and severity of these symptoms and the time at which they appear depend on the amount of radiation absorbed and the rate at which it is received. In addition to the effects on the person receiving the dose, damage to the germ cells in the reproductive organs – the gonads – can result in heritable effects which arise in later generations.
