Radiation dose rate effects: what is new and what is needed?

Donna Lowe (1, 2) , Laurence Roy (3) , Maria Antonella Tabocchini (4) , Werner Rühm (5, 6) , Richard Wakeford (7) , Gayle E Woloschak (8) , Dominique Laurier (9)

1 Radiation Effects Department, UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), Chilton, Didcot OX11 0RQ, UK
2 UKHSA - UK Health Security Agency [London]
3 IRSN - Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire
4 I.N.F.N. Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare
5 Helmholtz Zentrum München = German Research Center for Environmental Health
6 German Research Center for Environmental Health - Helmholtz Center München (GmbH)
7 Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health, Centre for Epidemiology, Division of Population Health, Health Services Research and Primary Care, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Biology and Health
8 The University of Chicago Medicine [Chicago]
9 IRSN/PSE-SANTE - Pôle Santé Environnement - Direction Santé

Despite decades of research to understand the biological effects of ionising radiation, there is still much uncertainty over the role of dose rate. Motivated by a virtual workshop on the “Effects of spatial and temporal variation in dose delivery” organised in November 2020 by the Multidisciplinary Low Dose Initiative (MELODI), here, we review studies to date exploring dose rate effects, highlighting significant findings, recent advances and to provide perspective and recommendations for requirements and direction of future work. A comprehensive range of studies is considered, including molecular, cellular, animal, and human studies, with a focus on low linear-energy-transfer radiation exposure. Limits and advantages of each type of study are discussed, and a focus is made on future research needs.

Mots clés: Ionising radiation; Dose rate; Low-LET; Recommendations; Radiobiology; Epidemiology; Ionising radiation Dose rate Low-LET Recommendations Radiobiology Epidemiology

Domaines: Sciences du Vivant [q-bio]

Donna Lowe, Laurence Roy, Maria Antonella Tabocchini, Werner Rühm, Richard Wakeford, et al.. Radiation dose rate effects: what is new and what is needed?. Radiation and Environmental Biophysics, 2022, 61 (4), pp.507-543. ⟨10.1007/s00411-022-00996-0⟩. ⟨irsn-04060632⟩