Do We Need the LNT Hypothesis in Radiation Protection? Could a Traffic Light Model Be a Practicable Solution?
DOKPE
- Völkle, Hansruedi ORCID Université de Fribourg
- 2025
Published in:
- Health Physics. - 2025, vol. 130, no. 4, p. 391-397
English
Abstract—The linear no-threshold hypothesis (commonly
known as LNT) has received increasing criticism in recent
years. LNT assumes that the damaging effects of ionizing
radiation, that is, stochastic effects such as cancer and genetic
or teratogenic effects, increase linearly with dose and without a
lower dose threshold. However, statistically verified data on the
relationship between radiation and effects are only obtained for
the range above 100 mSv y−1, which is why linear extrapolation
downward is carried out for the range of low radiation doses,
i.e., below 100 mSv y−1. Today’s radiation protection systems
are based on this principle. To place radiation protection on
a different basis (that is, no longer on the LNT hypothesis),
a traffic light model is proposed. It uses natural radiation
exposure as a reference but maintains the existing limits and
everything in radiation protection that has proven effective.
What does change, however, is the lower end of the optimization
range, according to the ALARA recommendation. For the
justification of today’s levels of exceptions, the precautionary
principle is applied.
known as LNT) has received increasing criticism in recent
years. LNT assumes that the damaging effects of ionizing
radiation, that is, stochastic effects such as cancer and genetic
or teratogenic effects, increase linearly with dose and without a
lower dose threshold. However, statistically verified data on the
relationship between radiation and effects are only obtained for
the range above 100 mSv y−1, which is why linear extrapolation
downward is carried out for the range of low radiation doses,
i.e., below 100 mSv y−1. Today’s radiation protection systems
are based on this principle. To place radiation protection on
a different basis (that is, no longer on the LNT hypothesis),
a traffic light model is proposed. It uses natural radiation
exposure as a reference but maintains the existing limits and
everything in radiation protection that has proven effective.
What does change, however, is the lower end of the optimization
range, according to the ALARA recommendation. For the
justification of today’s levels of exceptions, the precautionary
principle is applied.
- Faculty
- Faculté des sciences et de médecine
- Department
- Département de Physique
- Language
-
- English
- Classification
- Physics
- License
-
License undefined
- Open access status
- green
- Identifiers
- Persistent URL
- https://folia.unifr.ch/unifr/documents/336364
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