Which of the following is considered a late somatic effect of radiation exposure?

• A. Genetic effect
• B. Carcinogenesis
• C. Parkinson disease
• D. Alzheimer disease

Answer: (B)

Late somatic effects are health problems that appear in the irradiated person after a latent period, affecting body tissues rather than reproductive cells. Carcinogenesis fits this pattern because ionizing radiation can cause DNA damage in somatic cells, leading to cancer years after exposure. Genetic effects, on the other hand, involve heritable changes in germ cells that can be passed to offspring, not a condition that manifests in the irradiated individual as a somatic disease. Parkinson disease and Alzheimer disease are neurodegenerative conditions and are not the typical late somatic outcomes used in protection guidelines. So carcinogenesis is the best match for a late somatic effect.