CRP Statement on Tissue Reactions / Early and Late Effects of Radiation in Normal Tissues and Organs, Threshold Doses for Tissue Reactions in a Radiation Protection Context

At a glance

Type of study

Guideline or consensus statement

Who was studied

General population

Topics

Eye lens and cataractsCardiovascular diseasePregnancy and reproductive healthRegulation and policy

Summary based on

a web page

What it found

• The threshold dose for radiation-induced cataract is now considered approximately 0.5 Gy for acute and fractionated exposures, about ten times lower than earlier estimates.

  Key figures: approximately 0.5 Gy; lower by a factor of 10

• Circulatory disease is recognised as a late radiation effect, with a proposed threshold of about 0.5 Gy to the heart and cerebrovascular system, leading to about 1% incidence more than 10 years after exposure; estimates are uncertain.

  Key figures: 0.5 Gy; ~1% incidence >10 years

• Doses of 0.5 Gy to the heart and cerebrovascular system could be reached in some complex interventional procedures, so practitioners should emphasise optimisation.

  Key figures: 0.5 Gy

• For cataracts and circulatory disease, dose rate does not appear to modify incidence, so the same ~0.5 Gy threshold is applied to acute, fractionated and chronic exposure over a working life.

  Key figures: 0.5 Gy irrespective of dose rate

• There are no established mitigators of radiation lens injury; some biological response modifiers give modest dose modification in other tissues.

  Key figures: DMFs 1.1-1.2, in a few cases 1.5-2

Limits to keep in mind

A consensus review drawing mainly on atomic bomb survivors, radiotherapy and accident data rather than fluoroscopy staff; the report itself notes notable uncertainty in risk estimates at around 0.5 Gy, particularly for circulatory disease.

Related research summaries

• SCAI Multi-Society Position Statement on Occupational Health Hazards (2020, Guideline or consensus statement)
• Radiation exposure in interventional cardiology: a narrative review of health effects and novel approaches to ensure radiation safety (2025, Narrative review)
• Beir VII: Health Risks from Exposure to Low Levels of Ionizing Radiation (2006, Guideline or consensus statement)
• Japan - Ionizing Radiation Regulations (English) (Regulation or standard)
• EU-OSHA - BSS Directive Overview (Regulation or standard)