Ionizing radiation, genetic risk estimation and molecular biology: impact and inferences.

In recent years, a substantial amount of information has been obtained on the molecular nature of spontaneous mutations underlying human mendelian diseases, and on the mechanisms that give rise to these mutations. These data, when considered together with data on mutations induced by ionizing radiation in mammalian experimental systems, support the view that current radiation risk estimates for mendelian diseases (which are based on mouse data) are conservative.