A cytogenetic follow-up of some highly irradiated victims of the Chernobyl accident

Abstract

A follow-up of ten highly irradiated men, mostly reactor crew, from the Chernobyl accident is described. Their pre-accident medical conditions, and relevant medical status approximately 10-13y later are listed. A comparison is made between estimates, derived from several biological parameters, of their average whole-body penetrating radiation doses. First estimates were based on their presenting severity of prodromal sickness, early changes in blood cell counts, and dicentric chromosome aberrations in lymphocytes. In three cases ESR measurements on tooth enamel were also made. Retrospective dosimetry using FISH translocations was attempted 10-13 y later. This showed good agreement for those patients with the lower earlier dose estimates; up to about 3 Gy. For the others, extending up to about 12 Gy, the translocations indicated lower values, suggesting that in these cases translocations had somewhat declined. Repeated chromosomal examinations during the follow-up period showed an expected decline in dicentric frequencies. The pattern of decline was biphasic with a more rapid first phase, with a half-life of about 4 months followed by a slower decline with half-lives around 2-4 y. The rapid phase persisted for longer in those patients who had received the highest doses. 10-13 y later dicentric levels were still above normal background but well below the translocation frequencies.

EPR dosimetry with tooth enamel: A review

“…The latter were estimated from environmental measurements with a conversion from the whole-body doses to doses to tooth enamel by Monte Carlo simulations (as described in Chapter 16). A comparison of doses to tooth enamel with doses measured by cytogenetic methods has also been reported, showing a good agreement on average (Mironova-Ulmane et al, 2001;Serezhenkov et al, 1992;Sevan'kaev et al, 2005;Sevan'kaev et al, 2006). …”

Urinary Naphthol Metabolites and Chromosomal Aberrations in 5-Year-Old Children

“…In studies on older children (8-19 years), frequencies of CAs correlate with levels of ambient pollutants(40). Translocations, the most persistent aberrations (half-life: 2-4 years), are a biodosimeter of low dose clastogenic exposures and can persist 10-13 years after exposure(29). WCP-FISH has been used to facilitate documentation of translocations.…”

“…Translocations, the most persistent subtype of CAs, with half-lives of 2-4 years(28, 29) documented after either ionizing radiation or mixed chemical occupational exposures, are considered the most meaningful cytogenetic endpoint for assessing cancer risk(30, 31). In newborns from the Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health (CCCEH), an urban birth cohort of underprivileged Dominican and African American children in NYC, we have documented that CAs and translocations in cord blood are associated with prenatal maternal exposure to air polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH)(32).…”

BiodosEPR-2006 consensus committee report on biodosimetric methods to evaluate radiation doses at long times after exposure

“…A "rule of thumb" for the rate of decrease is a half-time of approximately 3 years (IAEA, 2001). Some cases that have been followed up have supported that value (e.g., Lloyd et al, 1998) but, especially where high doses have been received, a more rapid decline in dicentrics has been reported (Pressl et al, 2000;Sevan'kaev et al, 2005). Therefore, in general, the dicentric assay is not appropriate for retrospective dosimetry at long times after exposure.…”