Effects of Radiation on Pediatric Carcinogenesis

The risk of pediatric carcinogenesis is several times higher than for adults.

The risk of developing cancer in people exposed to radiation from the atomic bombings has been studied in terms of the amount of radiation exposure and by age group. From the results, it was found that with a single dose of 1 sievert, the risk is at least twice as high for children in comparison to adults. For people who are exposed to a radiation dose less than 1 sievert, there is no difference as a function of age. In recent research as well, radiation exposure during childhood carries several times the risk in comparison to the risk of exposure after reaching adulthood (Ozasa K et al. Studies of the mortality of atomic bomb survivors Report 14 ,1950-2003. Radiat Res 229-243, 177:2012).
If a person is exposed to radiation during childhood, simply because of the long remaining life expectancy, the probability of combination with other risk factors is high, so greater caution is needed in comparison to adults.