title: Effect of smoking on chromosomes compared with that of radiation in the residents of a high-background radiation area in China.
abstract: Cytogenetic investigation of stable-type aberrations (translocations) was carried out with our improved methods on 28 elderly individuals in a high-background radiation area (HBRA) in China, and on 24 elderly individuals in a control area (CA). The level of radiation in HBRA is 3 to 5 times higher than in CA. The mean frequencies of translocations per 1,000 cells in HBRA and CA were 12.4 +/- 5.3 and 10.0 +/- 3.8, respectively. No significant difference was found in the frequencies between HBRA and CA (P>0.05, Mann-Whitney U test). When elderly individuals in HBRA and CA were classified into four subgroups of HBRA nonsmokers, HBRA smokers, CA nonsmokers, and CA smokers, a significant difference was found in the frequencies between CA smokers and CA nonsmokers (P<0.05, Mann-Whitney U test). Furthermore a tendency of difference (a near T-value of 0.05 level) was found in a comparison of HBRA smokers vs. CA nonsmokers. The present results indicate that the elevated level of natural radiation in HBRA plays a less significant part than smoking in bringing about the induction rate of stable-type aberrations (translocations) in those areas.
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Radiological Protection, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Chunyan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Deqing
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Masako
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Minamihisamatsu
authors.forename: Hiroshige
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Morishima
authors.forename: Yongling
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: Luxin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Tsutomu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sugahara
authors.forename: Isamu
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hayata
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001417:Background Radiation; D002681:China; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002875:Chromosomes / Q000528:radiation effects*; D005787:Gene Frequency; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects*