Radiation may pass through the cell without doing damage. It may damage the cell , but the cell may be able to repair the damage before producing new cells. It may damage the cell in such a way that the damage is passed on when new cells are formed. Or it may kill the cell. To Look at the Question of What Caused Health Problems Medical scientists respond to this question in terms of risk.
Risk is the likelihood of getting a disease.
Many scientists and public health officials believe that any radiation dose could increase the risk for cancer and possibly other health problems. Having an increased risk does not always lead to developing a disease. Having an increased risk means that the chances of getting a disease are higher than if the exposure had not occurred. To find out about the risk of disease from past radiation exposure, scientists do two kinds of studies. A dose reconstruction study attempts to reconstruct the levels of radiation dose that people may have received.