Radiobiological mechanisms and the low dose problem: editorial

A brief article states the problems of obtaining information on human cancer induction by low LET radiation from epidemiological studies of exposed human populations. Cytogenic, cellular and molecular studies on the induction of DNA damage have been increasingly used to obtain such information. However the validity of many of the biophysical models of radiation action that attempted to explain dose-effect and LET relationships, solely on the basis of radiation track structure and arbitrary cellular target size and identity is now called into question. (UK)