That explanation really reminded me a lot of the Petkau effect [0]: > The Petkau effect is an early counterexample to linear-effect assumptions usually made ab

That explanation really reminded me a lot of the Petkau effect [0]: > The Petkau effect is an early counterexample to linear-effect assumptions usually made about radiation exposure. > Petkau had been measuring, in the usual way, the radiation dose that would rupture a simulated artificial cell membrane. He found that 3500 rads delivered in  2 1⁄4 hours (26 rad/min = 15.5 Sv/h) would do it. Then, almost by chance, Petkau repeated the experiment with much weaker radiation and found that 0.7 rad delivered in  11 1⁄2 hours (1 millirad/min = 0.61 mSv/h) also ruptured the membrane. This was counter to the prevailing assumption of a linear relationship between total dose or dose rate and the consequences. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petkau_effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petkau_effect