Doubling dose

The doubling dose refers to the radiation dose required to double the number of spontaneous genetic mutations in a given population of cells.

The United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) have traditionally estimated the doubling dose in humans at 1.0 Gy. A report in 2000 states that this figure is more likely to be 1.5 Gy.

Using data from Japanese atomic bomb survivors and their children, Neel et al (1991) estimate the doubling dose for acute radiation-induced mutations to be between 1.7 and 2.2 Sv, and for chronic radiation-induced mutations to be between 3.4 and 4.5 Sv.