THE RATE OF DECAY OF THE DOSE EQUIVALENT OF RADIATION INDUCED SUB-LETHAL DAMAGE

Existing experimental data relating to the rate of recovery of the dose equivalent of sub-lethal damage are analysed. A precise determination of the half-life of the dose equivalent is found to be impossible, but all the evidence reviewed suggests that it is of the order of 1 or 2 hr for mammalian systems irradiated at normal body temperature and that, in such systems, little error is produced in dosage calculations by assuming a value of 1.5 hr to be applicable, as originally suggested by Lajtha & Oliver (1961).