Bushong: Radiologic Science for Technologists, 11th Edition
Chapter 34: Stochastic Effects of Radiation
Answers to Challenge Questions
1. a. The study of occurrence, distribution, and causes of disease in humankind.
b. In the womb or during pregnancy.
c. ABCC-RERF is an acronym for Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission–Radiation
Effects Research Foundation.
d. Thorotrast is an early contrast medium based on radioactive thorium dioxide.
e. The period in utero when the organ systems are developing.
f. A study of childhood malignancies in England, Scotland, and Wales, which
investigated the effects of radiation in utero.
g. The scientist who first described a linear nonthreshold dose-response relationship
based on genetic responses in fruit flies.
h. The dose of radiation expected to double the normal incidence of genetic mutations;
it is thought to be approximately 500 mGyt (50 rad).
i. Radon (222Rn) is a naturally occurring, alpha-emitting radioactive gas that is
suspected of being a major contributor in human lung cancer.
j. “Radium watch dial painters” refers to a study population of (mostly) women who
developed bone cancer as a consequence of their job.
2. Cyclotron physicists.
3. Approximately 1day/1 mGyt (10 days/rad).
4. Improved radiation safety practices resulted in no life-span shortening.
5. The absolute risk of fatal malignant disease is 5 ´ 10–2/Sv or 5 ´ 10–5/mSv. In a
population of 300,000 receiving 0.5 mSv the number of fatalities = (5 ´ 10–5/mSv) ´
(0.5 mSv) ´ (300,000) = 7.5.
6. The absolute risk is 3/(100,000 ´ 0.02 mGyt) = 1.5/1000 – Gyt.
7. When an investigation of human radiation response indicates the induction of some
stochastic effects, the magnitude of the effect (the excess risk) is reflected by the excess
number of cases induced.
8. Number of induced malignancies = (10 cases/104 persons/Gyt/year) ´ (2 ´ 107 persons)
´ (7 ´ 10–6 Gyt) ´ (30 years) = 4.2 malignancies.
9. Radiation control during the early years is suspected to have been better practiced by
the British radiologic community than by its American counterpart.
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Answers to Challenge Questions 34-2
10. Following full spine irradiation, excess leukemia was observed.
11. Irradiation was used as a treatment for thymus enlargement shortly after birth. The
late response of increased thyroid cancer was observed in that population.
12. Radium was ingested by hand-painting watch dials. Since radium is chemically
similar to calcium, it is concentrated in bone and causes cancer by emitting alpha
particles.
13. Miners from the Colorado plateau in the 1950s and 1960s produced uranium ore in
poorly ventilated mines and, therefore, were exposed to high levels of radon gas. The
consequence was an increased incidence of lung cancer.
14. 15 uGyt (1.5 mrad).
15. Low-dose chronic irradiation does not impair fertility.
16. Yes.
17. (13/30,367)/(31/86,672) = 1.2.
18. [32/(100,000 ´ 20 ´ 10–3 Gyt)] = 16/1000/Gyt.
19. Approximately 150 in the 100,000-person population.
20. Relative risk is based on a known dose. Excess risk is simply the number of
malignancies observed that exceed the naturally occurring expected number of
malignancies.
Copyright © 2017, Elsevier Inc. All Rights Reserved.