EFFECTS OF ACUTE RADIATION EXPOSURE ON HUMAN PERFORMANCE
Abstract
More than fifty studies of anthropoid behavior observed under various kinds, rates, and amounts of ionizing radiation have shown, on balance, that behavioral functions are highly resistant to acute whole-body doses well above those required to produce troublesome manifestations of acute radiation sickness. Despite this overwhelming evidence of resistance, however, several aspects of behavior are clearly not impregnable. Further effort, therefore, is required to relate such aspects both to the physical dimensions of the radiation environment and the visible damage produced in biologic tissues, with particular emphasis on the modifying properties of other stressors. From a practical and conservative point of view, any exposure intense enough to embarrass an individual's normal physiologic mode should be regarded as behaviorally significant because it imposes constraints upon the convenience with which the individual can adapt to environmental circumstances. In terms of immediate effects, present knowledge suggests the acute radiation syndrome as the ruling factor in the specification of permissible acute exposure levels.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 01, 1963
- Accession Number
- AD0619408
Entities
People
- Robert B. Payne
Organizations
- United States Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine