Is there a safe dose of ionising radiation?
Exposure to large amounts of radiation can produce acute effects such as nausea and radiation burns. There is also an increased incidence of cancer amongst survivors of the World War II atomic bombing. Most people however are exposed to very low levels of ionising radiation and there is not much evidence of harm to their long-term health. Because cancer is a very common illness it is very difficult to show a link with exposure to very low doses of radiation. To cope with this uncertainty, and to be on the safe side, it is assumed that there is always a small risk at low doses (based on an extrapolation of risks observed at much higher doses). Laws and rules are adopted so that prolonged low exposure should not produce a statistically significant increase in the usual occurrence of any cancer.
