LEARNING ISSUES FORM

COURSE RAD PRO LEADER Maxene Jhay L. Tan

TRIGGER 12 SCRIBER Winkaiser Fradisson S. Ballentos
DATE October 03, 2022 MEMBERS Grethel Mae Tagud Apal
Kathleen M. Danila
John Michael Catubig De Vera
Alliah Yurih S. Galo
Rominna Beatrice A. Garcia
Kyla Camille P. Mansueto
Riel Laurence F. Maquiling
Rizza Mae E. Otadoy
Daryl June E. Palacio
Karl Rafael A. Pamakid
Maxene Jhay L. Tan
Jovial Zenith Ray L. Tapayan
Daryl June E. Palacio

A. LEARNING ISSUES: 

Learning Issues
1. How are LET and RBE related?
2. What is LET measured in?
3. How does radiation cause cell death?
4. Which radiation is most damaging to living cells?
5. What are the health effects of ionizing radiation?

B. ASSUMPTIONS: 

Assumptions
1. LET and RBE are two different measures of the amount of damage caused by ionizing
radiation. LET is a measure of how strongly the radiation interacts with matter, whereas
RBE is a measure of a particle's effectiveness at causing damage in living tissue.
2. Linear energy transfer (LET) is measured in keV/μm or MeV/μm. One keV per
micrometer (1 000 000 eV/μm) is the same as 1 MeV per μm (1 000 000 eV/μm).
3. Radiation can cause cell death in several ways. Radiation cause cell death by direct or
indirect. Direct cause is by ionizing radiation and indirect cause is by free radicals.
4. All types of ionizing radiation damage living cells and tissues when they strike them
directly or indirectly, but some types of radiation like Gamma Rays are more damaging
than others.
5. The health effects caused by ionizing radiation depend on the type and dose of the

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LDCU-FORMS-RT-INSTRUCTION-016 June 20, 2022 000
 radiation received and the part of the body it irradiates. Effects may not be seen until
several years after exposure to a large dose of radiation. Effects may also differ from
person to person depending on age, genetic make-up, and other factors.

C. RESOLUTIONS: 

Learning Issues Resolutions

1. How are LET and RBE related?
When biological response is defined in
terms of the Relative Biologic Effectiveness
(RBE) and different radiation type is
characterized by Linear Energy Transfer
(LET), the plot of the RBE versus LET
(RBE-LET) curve shows RBE to increase
with increasing LET, to reach a maximum,
and to decrease with further increasing LET.
It states that at low doses the RBE varies as
about the square of the LET, the RBE value
peaks at an LET of about 100 keV µm-1,
and then the RBE decreases as LET
increases further.

2. What is LET measured in?
3. How does radiation cause cell death?
The appropriate SI unit for LET is the
newton, but it is most typically expressed in
units of kiloelectronvolts per micrometre
(keV/μm) or megaelectronvolts per
centimetre (MeV/cm).
Radiation damage to the cell can be caused
by the direct or indirect action of radiation
on the DNA molecules. In the direct action,
the radiation hits the DNA molecule
directly, disrupting the molecular structure.
Such structural change leads to cell damage
or even cell death. Damaged cells that
survive may later induce carcinogenesis or
other abnormalities. This process becomes
predominant with high-LET radiations such
as α-particles and neutrons, and high
radiation doses. In the indirect action, the
radiation hits the water molecules, the major
constituent of the cell, and other organic

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LDCU-FORMS-RT-INSTRUCTION-016 June 20, 2022 000
 molecules in the cell, whereby free radicals
such as hydroxyl (HO•) and alkoxy (RO2•)
are produced.
4. Which radiation is most damaging to living Gamma rays are often considered the most
cells? dangerous type of radiation to living matter.
Unlike alpha and beta particles, which are
charged particles, gamma rays are instead
forms of energy. They have large
penetrating range and can diffuse through
many cells before dissipating, causing
widespread damage such as radiation
sickness. Because gamma rays have such
high penetrating power and can damage
living cells to a great extent, they are often
used in irradiation, a process used to kill
living organisms.
5. What are the health effects of ionizing The health effects of radiation dose depend
radiation? on the type of radiation emitted, the
radiation dose received by a worker, and the
parts of the body that are exposed, among
other factors. Radiation dose depends on the
duration of exposure, the amount of
radiation generated from the radiation
source, the distance from the radiation
source, and the amount and type of shielding
in place. When ionizing radiation interacts
with cells, it can cause damage to the cells
and genetic material (i.e., deoxyribonucleic
acid, or DNA). If not properly repaired, this
damage can result in the death of the cell or
potentially harmful changes in the DNA
(i.e., mutations).

References:

Baes, F. (n.d.). Hps.org. Health Physics Society. Retrieved October 3, 2022, from
https://hps.org/publicinformation/ate/q11416.html

Department of Labor Logo United Statesdepartment of Labor. Ionizing Radiation - Health

Effects | Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (n.d.). Retrieved October 3, 2022,
from https://www.osha.gov/ionizing-radiation/health-effects#:~:text=Types%20of
%20Health%20Effects,DNA%20(i.e.%2C%20mutations).

Document Number Effectivity Date Revision Number

LDCU-FORMS-RT-INSTRUCTION-016 June 20, 2022 000
Desouky, O., Ding, N., & Zhou, G. (2015, March 19). Targeted and non-targeted effects of
ionizing radiation. Journal of Radiation Research and Applied Sciences. Retrieved October
3, 2022, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1687850715000333

Libretexts. (2022, September 24). The effects of radiation on matter. Chemistry LibreTexts.
Retrieved October 3, 2022, from
https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry_Textbook_
Maps/Supplemental_Modules_(Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry)/
Nuclear_Chemistry/Radioactivity/The_Effects_of_Radiation_on_Matter#:~:text=Gamma
%20rays%20are%20often%20considered,are%20instead%20forms%20of%20energy.

P;, L. Q. T. D. C. (n.d.). The relative biologic effectiveness versus linear energy transfer curve as
an output-input relation for Linear Cellular Systems. Mathematical biosciences and
engineering : MBE. Retrieved October 3, 2022, from
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19566129/

Radiation Health Basics - co.monmouth.nj.us. (n.d.). Retrieved October 3, 2022, from

https://www.co.monmouth.nj.us/documents/118%5CRADIATION%20HEALTH
%20BASICS.pdf

Wikimedia Foundation. (2022, August 13). Linear Energy Transfer. Wikipedia. Retrieved
October 3, 2022, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linear_energy_transfer

Document Number Effectivity Date Revision Number

LDCU-FORMS-RT-INSTRUCTION-016 June 20, 2022 000