Technical note: Calculation by microdosimetric methods of the formation by a single high-energy photon or electron of two lesions in the same DNA molecule

Abstract

The formation by a single high-energy photon or electron of two lesions (such as double-strand breaks) in the same DNA molecule is calculated by microdosimetric methods. The result is similar to a previous calculation using a target theory approach. Thus, it is reasonably certain that, for 1 Gy of sparsely ionizing radiation acting on a DNA molecule of 106 base pairs, 3% of two-hit events such as deletions are from a single radiation event.