本文述及核装置正常操作可能出现的低水平辐射效应,而不涉及破坏、盗窃或事故释放放射性物质。毫无疑问,大剂量电离辐射能引起各种各样的躯体效应及遗传效应,但是低于现行辐射标准而接近本底的低水平辐射也可引起许多同样的效应。其主要不同点是后者发生率很低,以致不易与通常的疾病相鉴别。为此而使用大量的实验动物是不实际的,但有大量人群受不同水平的辐射,故用敏感的流行病学方法可能发现这些效应。低水平电离辐射引起损伤的大多数类型都涉及到 This article addresses the low level of radiative effects that may occur during normal operation of a nuclear installation without the risk of damaging, stolen or accidentally releasing radioactive material. There is no doubt that high doses of ionizing radiation can cause a wide range of somatic and genetic effects, but low levels of radiation below the current radiation standard and near the background can also cause many of the same effects. The main difference is that the incidence of the latter is so low that it is not easily distinguishable from the usual diseases. It is not practical to use a large number of laboratory animals for this purpose, but a large number of people are exposed to different levels of radiation and these effects may be detected by sensitive epidemiological methods. Most types of damage caused by low levels of ionizing radiation are involved