# 7.3 Health effects of radiation There have been many large scale studies worldwide of cancer risk in people arising from ionising radiation exposure (UNSCEAR 2018). The risk from exposure to high radiation doses is well quantified. For low radiation exposures the scientific evidence for increased health risk is limited. In accordance with the linear no threshold (LNT) model of radiation protection there is a theoretically possible increased risk of cancer and hereditary effects at very low radiation doses. For radiation delivered over a long period of time these effects have not been detected through scientific studies (Guseva Canu et al. 2011). --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://guidelines.nhmrc.gov.au/australian-drinking-water-guidelines/part-2/chapter-7/7.3-health-effects-of-radiation.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.