Cataracts due to radiation exposure are classified as which combination?

• A. Early effect and stochastic
• B. Late effects and deterministic
• C. Early effect and deterministic
• D. Late effect and stochastic

Answer: (B)

Cataracts from radiation are a late effect that is deterministic. They take years or months to develop after exposure, not appearing immediately. Deterministic effects have a dose threshold: below this dose, the effect doesn’t occur, and above it, the likelihood and severity of cataracts increase with the dose. This contrasts with stochastic effects, where there is no true threshold and risk increases in a probabilistic way (for example, cancer). Early effects are immediate, so they don’t describe cataract formation. So the best classification is late effects and deterministic.