How Ionizing Radiation Was Discovered 1 --
How Ionizing Radiation Is Detected 2 --
Units Used to Describe Radiation Dose 2 --
What Is Meant by Low Doses of Ionizing Radiation 2 --
Exposure from Natural Background Radiation 3 --
Contribution of Man-Made Radiation to Public Exposure 3 --
Scenarios Illustrating How People Might Be Exposed to Ionizing Radiation above Background Levels 4 --
Evidence for Adverse Health Effects Such as Cancer and Hereditary Disease 6 --
BEIR VII Risk Models 6 --
Research Reviewed by the Committee 9 --
Evidence from Biology 11 --
Estimation of Heritable Genetic Effects of Radiation in Human Populations 12 --
Evidence from Epidemiology 12 --
Integration of Biology and Epidemiology 14 --
Estimating Cancer Risks 14 --
Recommended Research Needs 15 --
Physical Aspects of Radiation 19 --
Chemical Aspects of Radiation 29 --
Molecular Mechanisms of DNA Repair 32 --
Annex 1A Ionizing Radiation and Oxidative Damage-A Viewpoint from Saccharomyces cerevisiae 40 --
2 Molecular and Cellular Responses to Ionizing Radiation 43 --
General Aspects of Dose-Response Relationships 43 --
Induction of Chromosome Aberrations 45 --
Induction of Gene Mutations in Somatic Cells 46 --
Radiation-Induced Genomic Instability 47 --
Hyper-Radiation Sensitivity at Low Doses 55 --
Observed Dose-Response Relationships at Low Doses 57 --
3 Radiation-Induced Cancer: Mechanisms, Quantitative Experimental Studies, and the Role of Genetic Factors 65 --
Mechanisms of Tumorigenesis 66 --
Radiation-Induced Genomic Instability in Radiation Tumorigenesis 70 --
Quantitative Studies in Experimental Tumorigenesis 73 --
Genetic Susceptibility to Radiation-Induced Cancer 79 --
4 Heritable Genetic Effects of Radiation in Human Populations 91 --
Introduction and Brief History 91 --
Risk Estimation Methods 93 --
Recent Advances with Respect to the Three Quantities Used with the DD Method of Risk Estimation 94 --
Doubling Dose Estimate 101 --
Mutation Component of Genetic Diseases 101 --
MC Estimation for Chronic Multifactorial Disease 105 --
Other Potentially Relevant Data 113 --
Annex 4A Models of Inheritance of Multifactorial Diseases in the Population 120 --
Annex 4B Doubling Dose 122 --
Annex 4C Assumptions and Specifications of the Finite-Locus Threshold Model 124 --
Annex 4D Differences Between Spontaneous Disease-Causing Mutations in Humans and Radiation-Induced Mutations in Experimental Systems 124 --
Annex 4E Criteria Used to Assign Human Genes to One of Three Groups from the Standpoint of the Recoverability of Induced Mutations in Live Births 125 --
Annex 4F Radiation Studies with Expanded Simple Tandem Repeat Loci in the Mouse and Minisatellite Loci in Human Germ Cells 125 --
Annex 4G Doubling Doses Estimated from Genetic Data of Children of A-Bomb Survivors 130 --
5 Background for Epidemiologic Methods 132 --
Collection of Epidemiologic Data 133 --
Analysis of Epidemiologic Data 136 --
Interpretation of Epidemiologic Data 139 --
6 Atomic Bomb Survivor Studies 141 --
Description of the Cohort 142 --
Statistical Methods 143 --
Site-Specific Cancers 147 --
Cancers Resulting from Exposure In Utero 151 --
Nonneoplastic Disease 152 --
7 Medical Radiation Studies 155 --
Medical Uses of Radiation 156 --
Evaluation of Risk for Specific Cancer Sites 173 --
8 Occupational Radiation Studies 189 --
Nuclear Industry Workers 190 --
Workers from the Mayak Facility 201 --
Chernobyl Cleanup Workers 202 --
Airline and Aerospace Employees 204 --
Medical and Dental Occupational Exposures 204 --
9 Environmental Radiation Studies 207 --
Populations Living Around Nuclear Facilities 208 --
Populations Exposed from Atmospheric Testing, Fallout, or Other Environmental Release of Radiation 212 --
Populations Exposed from the Chernobyl Accident 215 --
Populations Exposed from Natural Background 228 --
Children of Adults Exposed to Radiation 228 --
Exposure to Radioactive Iodine 131 233 --
10 Integration of Biology and Epidemiology 239 --
DNA Damage Response and Cancer Risk 239 --
Projection of Risks Over Time 239 --
Transport of Cancer Risk Between Different Populations 240 --
Form of the Dose-Response for Radiation Tumorigenesis 245 --
Dose and Dose-Rate Effects on Tumor Induction 246 --
Other Forms of Cellular and Animal Response to Radiation 250 --
Genetic Susceptibility to Cancer 251 --
Heritable Effects of Radiation 252 --
Annex 10A Application of the Moolgavkar and Knudson Two-Stage Clonal Expansion Model to the Transport of Radiation Cancer Risk 253 --
Annex 10B Evidence for the Connection Between Dose Effects and Dose-Rate Effects in Animal Experiments 254 --
11 Risk Assessment Models and Methods 259 --
Risk Assessment Methodology 259 --
Variables That Modify the Dose-Response Relationship 264 --
12 Estimating Cancer Risk 267 --
Data Evaluated for BEIR VII Models 267 --
Measures of Risk and Choice of Cancer End Points 268 --
BEIR VII Committee's Preferred Models 269 --
Use of the Committee's Preferred Models to Estimate Risks for the U.S. Population 274 --
Quantitative Evaluation of Uncertainty in Lifetime Risks 278 --
Results of Risk Calculations 278 --
Uncertainties in Lifetime Risk Estimates 284 --
Coherence of Models with Other Studies 286 --
Annex 12A Previous Models for Estimating Cancer Risks from Exposure to Low Levels of Low-LET Ionizing Radiation 291 --
Annex 12B Committee Analyses of Data on the LSS Cohort to Develop BEIR VII Models for Estimating Cancer Risks 296 --
Annex 12C Details of LAR Uncertainty Analysis 308 --
Annex 12D Additional Examples of Lifetime Risk Estimates Based on BEIR VII Preferred Models 310 --
13 Summary and Research Needs 313 --
Evidence from Biology 313 --
Genetic Effects of Radiation on Human Populations 316 --
Epidemiologic Studies of Populations Exposed to Ionizing Radiation 317 --
Integration of Biology and Epidemiology 321 --
Models for Estimating the Lifetime Risk of Cancer 322 --
A Basic Biological and Genetic Concepts 327 --
B Commentary on "Radiation From Medical Procedures in the Pathogenesis of Cancer and Ischemic Heart Disease: Dose-Response Studies with Physicians Per 100,000 Population" 329 --
C Issues Raised by the Institute for Energy and Environment Research (IEER) 330 --
E Fifteen-Country Workers Study 336.
