Life-expectancy formulas based on the load model

Abstract

Reduction in life expectancy is already used as a supplementary measure of radiation safety and has been widely investigated in radiological experiments. Usually, the median or the mean life expetancy calculated form the onset of radiation exposure has been considered. Considerable data on the dependence of the reduction in median and mean life expectancy on the dose in different exposure conditions has now been accumulated. The development of calculation methods for different exposure conditions would facilitate the generalization of these and other data characterizing the change in lifetime under the action of ionizing radiation and their wider use in estimating radiation safety. A mathematical model of cohort extinction in normal conditions and in unfavorable circumstances (henceforward called the load model of mortality) that is in satisfactory agreement with observational data has been previously proposed. The aim of the present work is to obtain expressions for the median and mean life expectancy on the basis of this model. Formulas for the radiational load and age at the onset of irradiation and their relationship are derived for low levels of radiation. Particular attention is paid to short- and long-term radiation exposure.