Stochastic and deterministic skin effects of radiation

Title : Stochastic and deterministic skin effects of radiation

Abstract:

This report provides an estimation of the Stochastic and Deterministic effects of radiation on the skin. Deterministic effects are short-term, adverse tissue reactions resulting from a dose that is significantly high enough to damage living tissues. While stochastic effect involve Stochastic effects are probabilistic effects that occur by chance. An extremely rare stochastic effect is the development of cancer in an irradiated organ or tissue.

The concept of dose limits also takes into account the ideas that any use of radiation should do more good than harm, and that permissible exposure should be maintained “as low as reasonably achievable” (ALARA). 

The organs systems involve in this study include the digestive tracts, urinary tracts , respiratory, musculoskeletal endocrine, reproductive and nervous systems. Estimates are given for morbidity and mortality endpoints in all organ systems following acute, fractionated, or chronic exposure. Recent evidence shows that due to the increasing times of exposure of higher radiation doses have resulted in the stochastic effects on the skin. However, in deterministic effects the threshold dose appears to be higher after lower radiation dose in the context after exposure as compared to Stochastic effects  In the context of protection, it is the threshold doses for very long follow-up times that are the most relevant for workers and the public

The exposure of the atomic bomb within 40–50 years of follow-up have shown that survivors of the incident have generated a Radiotherapy data report which is use to generally apply for shorter follow-up times because of competing causes of death in cancer patients, and hence the risks of radiation-induced circulatory disease at those earlier times were lower.

Various Biological Response Modifiers have been used to help reduce late reactions in many tissues of the skin in many cases, these include angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, anti-inflammatory drugs, radical scavengers, growth factors, cytokines, inhibitors of apoptosis and antioxidants The range of these give dose modification factors arises from  1.1–1.2, and in a few cases 1.5–2, indicating the potential for increasing threshold doses in known exposure cases.

A lot of the skin tissues shows the dose fraction effect caused by radiation, indicating that the total doses for a given exposure are higher if the dose is fractionated rather than when given as a single dose. It appears that the rate of dose delivery does not modify the radiation exposure. Hence, the injury in these cases and at these low dose levels is caused by a single-hit irreparable-type exposure These studies imply that the 500 mSv averaged over 1 cm2 skin dose limit is more conservatively protective against deterministic effects as recommended by CORAR.as proposed herein for practical purposes, irrespective of the rate of dose delivery  CORAR recommend that the ICRP considers adopting an annual skin dose limit of 500 mSv averaged over 10 cm2.This recommended limit should provide a similar level of protection as the ICRP’s other occupational limits and would therefore be more compatible with them. A further baseline studies should be carried out in future.   

Keywords: Threshold doses, Stochastic Effect, Deterministic Effect, Skin and Radiation Exposure.

Biography:

Miss Hephzibah Konadu Agyeman is a Principal Technologist in Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, she is currently a PhD student pursuing Nuclear and Environmental Protection in the University of Ghana, School of Nuclear and Allied Sciences (SNAS). She holds a Master degree in Environment Science which she obtained from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi. She also attended Accra Technical University (Formally Known as Accra Technical University) where she obtained a Bachelor of Technology in Science Laboratory Technology (B. TECH), a Higher National Diploma Science Laboratory and a Diploma Certificate in Science Laboratory Technician. She has a certificate in Ms Dos and Windows. She attended a training Course in School on Radiation Technology organized by the World Nuclear University and a training course organized by ENEN – IAEA. Throughout her professional training as a laboratory Technologist, she has attained several workshop and training courses both locally and Internationally organized by the International Atomic Energy Commission (IAEA). She has also been involved in executing IAEA technical co-operation (TC) project and coordinated research projects (CRP). She have written eight (8) publications and co- authored seven (7) publications on water and other related fields and her Research Publications in the Research Gate publishers reached 7,426 reads in 31ST January, 2025. She has Peer reviewed twenty (20) manuscripts, Five Book Chapters (5) and receive certificates for Peer reviewing in Scientific International Journals. She was nominated as the Best worker in 2019 among the Technologist in Radiation Protection Institution Ghana Atomic Energy Commission(GAEC). She was invited by UNESCO to attend an award ceremony for women in Science for sub - Sahara Africa by UNESCO in Botswana in 2023.