It is well known that high doses of ionizing radiation (IR) are harmful to humans, as shown by studies on nuclear accident survivors or patients undergoing radiation therapy. On the other hand, there is a growing interest in understanding the potential harmful effects, neoplastic and non-neoplastic, of acute or chronic exposure to low-dose ionizing radiation (LDIR) (≤100 mSv) or low-dose-rate radiation (LDRIR) (<6 mSv/h). Moreover, in apparent contrast, several studies hypothesize and support a hormetic response to low-dose radiation exposure, a fascinating but tricky suggestion. The immune system straddles these two issues, as its changes in response to IR exposure may lead to the onset of immunologic problems in the strict sense, to subsequent alterations in a neoplastic sense, or to an adaptive and protective response of the system itself.
Moreover, interest in low doses related to occupational exposures is growing, as IR is now widely used both in health care, in diagnostic and therapeutic pathways, and in non-healthcare, as in the case of nondestructive testing scopes, cosmic radiation in aircraft crews, or radon exposure.
This Frontiers Research Topic aims to explore aspects related to occupational low and medium doses IR exposures in healthcare and non-healthcare settings, aiming to gather contributions in the form of reviews, minireviews, case reports, and original articles from the community of occupational medicine, radiobiology, immunology, and other primary and clinical disciplines on the following topics (but not limited to): - Basic interactions between IR and the immune system in healthcare workers, remarkably, but not limited to, those engaged in interventional activities and nuclear medicine - Damage to the Immune System due to IR exposure in non-healthcare environment, particularly in flight personnel or those working in emergency settings (such as firefighters or soldiers) - Radio-onco-immunology aspects related to IR and radon - Chronic radiation-induced inflammation and its consequences in various organs in workers using radiogenic sources or exposed to natural IR - Changes in immune system biomarkers related to IR exposure that could be used both for preventive purposes and in causal link reconstruction in cases of immune or oncologic pathology related to IR exposure.
Article types and fees
This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:
Brief Research Report
Case Report
Classification
Clinical Trial
Community Case Study
Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
Editorial
FAIR² Data
General Commentary
Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.
Article types
This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:
Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
