Relation between the dose of an organ, part of the body or the whole body and the resulting biological radiation effect. Various extrapolation possibilities derived from knowledge gained with high doses are conceivable for a few millisieverts – the area of interest for radiation protection purposes. The International Commission on Radiological Protection assumes for the purposes of radiation protection a linear relation between the level of the effective dose and the frequency of late radiation damage.

Course of extrapolation possibilities:

A: linear
B: linear-quadratic
C: quadratic with threshold value