The effect of low-dose exposure on germline microsatellite mutation rates in humans accidentally exposed to caesium-137 in Goiania

Abstract

A serious radiological accident occurred in 1987 in Goiânia, Brazil, which lead to extensive human and environmental contamination as a result of ionising radiation (IR) from caesium-137. Among the exposed were those in direct contact with caesium-137, their relatives, neighbours, liquidators and health personnel involved in the handling of the radioactive material and the clean-up of the radioactive sites. The exposed group consisted of 10 two-generation families, totalling 34 people. For each exposed family, at least one of the progenitors was directly exposed to very low doses of γ-IR. The control group consisted of 215 non-irradiated families, composed of a father, mother and child, all of them from Goiânia, Brazil. Genomic DNA was purified using 100 μl of whole blood. The amplification reactions were prepared according to PowerPlex® 16, following the manufacturer's instructions. Genetic profiles were obtained from a single polymerase chain reaction amplification. The exposed group had only one germline mutation of a paternal origin in the 'locus' D8S1179 and the observed mutation presented a gain of only one repeat unit. In the control group, 11 mutations were observed and the mutational events were distributed in five loci D16S539, D3S1358, FGA, Penta E and D21S11. The mutation rates for the exposed and control groups were 0.006 and 0.002, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference (P = 0.09) between the mutation rate of the exposed and control groups. In conclusion, the quantification of mutational events in short tandem repeats can provide a useful system for detecting induced mutations in a relatively small population.

Removal of radioactive cesium from contaminated water by whey protein amyloids–carbon hybrid filters

“…The ultimate effect of bioaccumulation of 137 Cs in humans, in dependency to the amount ingested, is the development of radiation-induced malignancies, [15][16][17] as well as mutagenesis in germinal cells. 18,19 Many methods are currently available for decontamination of radioactive wastewater from nuclear ssion products. [20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27] However, most of the existing technologies, like co-precipitation, evaporation, reverse osmosis, and ion exchange, show strong disadvantages, with the main ones being low efficiencies, high production and operational costs, or limited reusability.…”

Trends in the Incidence of Breast Cancer Following the Radiological Accident in Goiânia: A 25-Year Analysis

“…In total, the competent authorities monitored about 112,000 city residents, although their direct connection with the incident was not established (Rosenthal et al, 1991). About 15 years after the event, a case-control study analyzed the microsatellite mutation rates and found no difference between exposed and unexposed populations (Costa et al, 2011). Other studies have observed high cesium concentration in the subsoil layer of the accident site (Anjos et al, 2002) and indicated that exposure to ionizing radiation can be detected in offspring of exposed individuals (Cruz et al, 2008).…”