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Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation

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The Pathophysiologic Basis of Nuclear Medicine

Summary

Several biological effects can result from ionizing radiation. These can be due to direct or indirect mechanisms, and they can be acute or delayed. Acute effects occur with exposure to high-level radiation. Delayed effects may appear after a long time and include cancer, genetic effects, effects on the unborn child, and other effects such as cataracts and hypothyroidism. Based on our current knowledge, no level of exposure to radiation can be described as absolutely safe and no level is uniformly dangerous. Radiation doses have to reach a certain level to produce acute injury but not to cause cancer or genetic damage. No biological effects in individuals have ever been documented as being due to levels of ionizing radiation employed for medical diagnosis. Absorbed doses from nuclear medicine procedures are very low. Fear of radiation must not be permitted to undermine the great value of radiation in clinical practice. However, safe handling of all levels of radiation is important to prevent or minimize possible biological effects.

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Authors
  1. Abdelhamid H. Elgazzar
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  2. Nafisah Kazem
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nuclear Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Kuwait University Health Sciences Center, PO Box 24923, 13110, Safat, Kuwait

    Abdelhamid H. Elgazzar MD, FCAP (Diplomate, American Board of Pathology Diplomate, American Board of Nuclear Medicine Professor and Chairman) (Diplomate, American Board of Pathology Diplomate, American Board of Nuclear Medicine Professor and Chairman)

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© 2006 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Elgazzar, A.H., Kazem, N. (2006). Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation. In: Elgazzar, A.H. (eds) The Pathophysiologic Basis of Nuclear Medicine. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg . https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-47953-6_23

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-47953-6_23

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-23992-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-47953-6

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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