UNITS AND TERMINOLOGY OF RADIATION MEASUREMENT: A PRIMER FOR THE EPIDEMIOLOGIST

The utility and even the validity of radiation epidemiology studies rest upon the quality of the underlying radiologic data and the correctness of their interpretation. To ensure meaningful and comparable results, radioepidemiologic studies need to properly and consistently use radiologic quantities and units, and to evaluate and fully discuss the radiologic measurements and their interpretation, recognizing that experts in health physics may differ in their assessments. As succinctly stated by Polya Two persons presented with the same evidence and applying the same patterns of plausible inference may honestly disagree.