Hereditary effects and cancer incidence are examples of which type of radiation effects?

• A. Stochastic effects
• B. Non stochastic effects
• C. Acute effects
• D. Late effects

Answer: (A)

Stochastic effects are probabilistic in nature and have no fixed dose threshold; the chance that an effect will occur increases with the amount of radiation, but the severity of the effect in an individual isn’t determined by the dose. That makes hereditary effects and cancer incidence classic examples: germline mutations can occur and be passed on, and cancer risk rises with dose, yet there isn’t a guaranteed threshold where these effects suddenly appear, nor is their severity tied to how large the dose was for a given individual.

In contrast, nonstochastic (deterministic) effects have a threshold and become more severe as dose increases, such as skin erythema or cataracts. Acute effects are typically deterministic and appear shortly after exposure. Late effects is a broader category that can include both stochastic and deterministic outcomes, but hereditary and cancer are classically described as stochastic.