| |
Ionizing radiation, an unavoidable by-product of high-energy LINACs, makes them subject to strict regulation and severe public concerns. During the last two decades the attitude to ionizing radiation hazards has been becoming more balanced, as opposed to the historical "radiophobia". The linear no-threshold hypothesis (LNTH), based on the assumption that every radiation dose increment constitutes increased cancer risk for humans, is more and more debated. In particular, the recent memorandum of the International Commission on Radiological Protection admits that the LNTH predictions at low doses are "speculative, unproven, undetectable and "phantom'." Moreover, numerous experimental, ecological, and epidemiological studies show that low doses of ionizing radiation may be beneficial to human health. While these advances in scientific understanding have not yet given fruit regarding radiation regulation and policy, we are hopeful these may happen in near to middle term. The presentation reviews the present status of the low-dose radiation-hazard debate. It also outlines anticipated opportunities for LINAC applications, especially in the prospective field of low-dose radiation therapy.
|
|
