Which of the following is NOT a deterministic effect of radiation?

The correct choice in this case is cancer, as it is considered a stochastic effect of radiation rather than a deterministic one. Deterministic effects occur due to high doses of radiation and are characterized by a threshold; this means that there is a dose level below which these effects generally do not manifest. Skin burns, cataracts, and hair loss all fall into the category of deterministic effects, where the severity of the effect increases with the dose of radiation received and a specific threshold dose is necessary to initiate the effect.

In contrast, cancer develops through the accumulation of cellular damage from radiation exposure, with the likelihood of occurrence increasing with dose but not necessarily requiring a specific threshold. Instead, cancer risk is statistically dependent on exposure levels, meaning that any radiation exposure carries some risk of causing cancer over time. Thus, identifying cancer as a non-deterministic effect underscores the distinction between immediate, observable outcomes and those that may manifest later, representing a fundamental concept in radiation biology.