Stochastic effects of radiation can be defined as those that occur when one is exposed to low doses of radiation over really long periods of time. These are the not so obvious effects that creep in slowly with time and tend not to be mentioned a lot as the effects of radiation. The probability of occurrence of these effects increases with increased exposure to radiation. However, a threshold dose that can be set as the bar that distinguishes between stochastic effects and deterministic effects. The latter are those types of effects that are associated with one-time overdose of radiation and that are commonly mentioned. Both deterministic and stochastic effects tend to overlap past the meeting point of the two. The severity of these effects does not rely on how much radiation one has absorbed. In fact, the effects tend to occur by chance without any threshold level of the dose. The probability that a stochastic effect will occur cannot be pinned down as it tends to vary from being to being. However, it is proportional to the dose that one has been exposed to. There are two types of stochastic effects:
Somatic stochastic effects
Genetic effect
Somatic stochastic effects arise in individuals that are directly exposed to radiation whereas genetic effects occur when an individual inherits affected genes from the parents. Exposure to radiation damages how the reproductive cell is made up genetically and this can be transmitted from generation to generation. The D.N.A and the individual gene can have their structures adjusted by radiation and hence contributing to the birth of defective children.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
As it stands by now, stochastic effects occur by chance and its effects are primarily brought about because of the change of genetic makeup of body cells. As such, cancer is certainly the number one stochastic effect. Typically, stochastic effects take a lot of time, usually years, to show up for both direct exposure and genetic acquired alterations. It has also become clear that the probability of effects occurring increases as people increasingly expose themselves to radiation. However, what is staggering is the fact that even for high doses of exposer, it is not certain that stochastic effects will occur. Those exposed to lower doses may experience the effects while, at the same time, those exposed to higher doses get away with it. This means that coming up with the appropriate statistics that can conclusively determine the probability of effects of exposure taking place. The only statistic concerning this is not directly related to the menace. For instance, the only statistic compares the probability of effects for those who are exposed to radiation occurring to those who are not exposed. As for this, those exposed to radiation have a 21% probability that they will be affected by cancer. As for those who are not exposed, the figure stands at 20%. For descendants who came from those affected by radiation, the effects can also fail to show. However, the probability of the effects showing increases if they expose themselves to radiation. Results from the analysis of survivors of the Japanese atomic bomb who were largely exposed to high radiation doses show that the genetic defects are not any different from those exposed to much less doses.
From this and a lot of other studies, we can draw the conclusion that the induction of cancer as a result of one being exposed to radiation certainly occurs in a stochastic manner and that there is no point that can be marked as the threshold point. However, researchers have been able to create models that can be used to predict the stochastic effects. The most popular models include:
The linear-no-threshold model: Lays its foundation in the belief that the risk of getting cancer is directly proportional to no threshold dose. In fact, this is the model currently being used by the International Commission of Radiological Protection.
The linear-quadratic model: This model states that one’s risk of getting cancer induction increases as the quadratic-linear function.
The adoptive-dose response model: This is also referred to as hormesis. It states that those exposed to low doses gain an adaptive protective characteristic as compared to those exposed to high doses which has a detrimental effect.
The other radiation-induced effect is Leukemia. This is a special type of malignancy that qualifies to drawn from under the shadow of cancer. It occurs when blood or the cells forming the blood become cancerous (Conrad, n.d.) . The exact cause of Leukemia has never been known. However, the highly likely risk factors can be identified as radiation exposure, smoking, exposure to benzene and other chemicals, and cancer chemotherapy. Either way, radiation exposure tops the list.
Is Radiologic Technology a Safe Profession?
Radiologic Technology definitely is a safe profession (Bushong, 2016) . The fact that it is known that exposure to radiation increases the chances of both stochastic and deterministic effects means that safety measures have been instilled to protect radiologic technologists from these exposures. If one is to follow all these safety measures to the latter, then he/she is definitely not going to be exposed to any radiation. However, people tend to disobey these measures and expose themselves to small amounts of radiation at a go. Over time, the exposures pile up to bring about the unclear threshold that is needed for the effects to occur. As for the patients, exposure to radiation occurs only when the problem being diagnosed has way higher chances to cause damage to them that the radiation has. This makes it worth the risk. Generally, it can be concluded that radiologic technology is safe for both the technician and the patient.
References
Bushong, S. C. (2016). Radiologic science for technologists: physics, biology, and protection.[Textbook].
Conrad, M. Leukemia Treatment, Diagnosis, Causes, Symptoms, Prognosis. Retrieved from https://www.medicinenet.com/leukemia/article.htm
