Fundamental aspects of the dose effect relationship for ultraviolet radiation

A comparison of the effects caused by ultra-violet and ionizing radiations reveals many similarities such as the induction of cancer, cell killing and DNA damage. It also reveals basic differences. There are good reasons to associate DNA damage with effects such as cell killing and cancer induction. Currently, a linear relationship between dose and the probability to induce cancer is used to estimate the risk from exposure to ionizing radiation at low dose and low dose rate. In this paper the authors suggest, using their hypothesis relating DNA damage to biological effect, that the basis for assuming a linear relationship between cancer induction and UV exposure is less well formed than that for ionizing radiation