Radiation effects that are deterministic are generally characterized by what?

Deterministic effects of radiation are identified by their all-or-nothing threshold characteristic. This means that there is a certain dose of radiation below which the effect will not occur, and once that threshold is surpassed, the effects will manifest with certainty. The severity of the effects usually increases with the dose above this threshold.

For instance, skin burns or radiation sickness are examples of deterministic effects that appear once radiation exposure exceeds a certain level. This is in contrast to stochastic effects, which are based on probability and have no threshold, meaning any exposure carries some risk of delayed effects, such as cancer.

The other characteristics typically associated with deterministic effects—such as immediate symptoms or long-term accumulation of damage—do not define the nature itself of these effects as effectively as the all-or-nothing threshold does. While deterministic effects may often lead to immediate symptoms once the threshold is exceeded, the defining characteristic remains the requirement for a specific dose to elicit a response, which encapsulates the essence of deterministic radiation effects.