Testes weight loss in mice has been used as a test system to determine the relative biological efficiency (RBE) of neutrons ranging in energy from fission to a beam of 600 MeV nominal energy. The RBE values, calculated as equal effect dose ratios show a maximum at the neutron energy of 1 MeV. No significant dependence was found on the level of absorbed dose. Analyses of the dose-effect relations obtained suggest the existence of a radiation-insensitive component of the testes that accounts for 32.5% of the total weight. By considering only the radiosensitive component, the X-ray data show an exponential dose-effect relation. When the same correction is applied to the neutron data, dose-effect curves with an extrapolation number less than one are obtained for some neutron energies.

Cited By (since 1996): 2Export Date: 26 August 2010Source: Scopus