An Overview of the Session

Tetsuya Ono

Department of Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8575, Japan

tono@mail.tains.tohoku.ac.jp

Risk estimation of low dose ionizing radiation on human health effects is now based on the assumption because of a lack of scientific evidence.  The risk at high doses of radiation is extrapolated to low doses assuming a linear dose-response curve. It is called as a linear non-threshold model. The assumption, however, leaves many problems such as uncertainty in permissible dose for public as well as radiation-workers, economic burden for following temporary rules, anxiety about accidental exposure and medical radiation treatment, etc. These problems will be solved only by scientific approaches to evaluate the effects of low dose radiation.  I will overview the background and describe briefly the new 5-year research project we have started to study biological responses to low dose radiation.  In the session the speakers will introduce the latest findings in the field including the effects of low dose radiation on the gene structure and gene regulation, and also computer modeling of DNA damage-repair processes. Epidemiological as well as chromosome studies on the people living in the high background radiation area in China will also be introduced.  We wish to discuss on the subject through the session.

Keywords: Low Dose Radiation, Health Effect, Risk, Biological Response