Despite 50 years of extensive research, risk perception and its communication is a relatively new discipline in social science. Previously, research has investigated ionizing radiation risks more in terms of case studies, rather than as a prerequisite for building an intellectual and theoretical capacity, for both scientists and the public at large. The term “ionizing radiation" is utilized for radiation which has sufficient energy to remove electrons from atoms, thus creating ions. Society takes advantage of this form of radiation for medical applications, generating power and in support of many manufacturing processes. Industry and regulators alike use the term “low doses” to describe a situation when the dose received by an individual is relatively small. But here lies a key issue for those whose responsibility it is to communicate risk in that there are a number of different definitions of what low dose really means both numerically and in terms of its potential effects (especially over time and in relation to genomic instability).

Citation: Perko T (2013) Research Challenges on Communication about Low Radiation Doses. J Mass Communicat Journalism 3:e148. doi: 10.4172/2165-7912.1000e148

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