Research Papers in Physics and Astronomy
Title
Comment on NCRP Report No. 104, "The Relative Biological Effectiveness of Radiations of Different Quality"
Document Type
Article
Date of this Version
1992
Abstract
The validity of a linear extrapolation to lowest fluences of
charged particles demands that the transit of a single charged
particle through the target volume is capable of inducing the
chain of events leading to an observable end-point. This is
always the case for one-hit detectors. It is not always the case
for biological cells and tissues (Katz and Hofmann 1982).
By way of example, Cole ct al. (1980) found that, on
average, some 500 electrons pass into the nucleus of a CHO
cell for inactivation. Similarly, Warters et al. (1977) found
that some 500 tritium decays in the nucleus of a CHO cell
are required for observable killing.
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Comments
Published in HEALTH PHYSICS 63:4 (October 1992). Copyright (c) 1992 Health Physics Society. Used by permission.