One of the contentious issues in public health is setting safe exposure limits for ionizing radiation. All life-forms on this planet have been exposed to radiation of some kind, since the very beginning of life; the levels were probably much higher. Nevertheless, there is a constant search for carcinogenic radiation ?thresholds,? although these must necessarily vary from individual to individual and from tumor to tumor. The opinions are polarized: small doses may elicit adaptive responses that are essentially beneficial; on the other hand, repeated and frequent low-dose radiation may cumulate its effects in a linear mode. In principle, it may be impossible to prove or disprove the existence of ?absolute? thresholds.
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