ABSTRACT
The low-dose radiological risk needs urgent revision. A way forward is suggested taking advantage of epidemiological studies and using a two-mutation model for cancer induction. When the radiological risk estimation was initially made, the regulatory authorities did not have a mechanism for the induction of cancer by radiation, and the derivation of risk preceded the research showing the involvement of somatic mutations in the origin of cancer. When the radiological risk estimation was made, the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) and other regulatory bodies were aware that cellular radiobiological studies were revealing a sparing effect of low-dose rate exposure. The ICRP and other regulatory bodies apply a radiation weighting factor of 1 for all sparsely ionising radiations to convert the dose measured in Gray to the dose equivalent in Sievert. ICRP have also reviewed relative biological effectiveness and the radiation weighting factor and decided to maintain the weighting factor at 1 for different sparsely ionising radiations.
