mFISH analysis of chromosome aberrations in workers occupationally exposed to mixed radiation.
We performed a study on the presence of chromosome aberrations in a cohort of plutonium workers of the Mayak production association (PA) with a mean age of 73.3 ± 7.2 years to see whether by multi-color fluorescence in situ hybridization (mFISH) translocation analysis can discriminate individuals who underwent occupational exposure with internal and/or external exposure to ionizing radiation 40 years ago. All Mayak PA workers were occupationally exposed to chronic internal alpha-radiation due to incorporated plutonium-239 and/or to external gamma-rays. First, we obtained the translocation yield in control individuals by mFISH to chromosome spreads of age-matched individuals and obtained background values that are similar to previously published values of an international study (Sigurdson et al. in Mutat Res 652:112-121, 2008). Workers who had absorbed a total dose of >0.5 Gy external gamma-rays to the red bone marrow (RBM) displayed a significantly higher frequency of stable chromosome aberrations relative to a group of workers exposed to <0.5 Gy gamma-rays total absorbed RBM dose. Thus, the translocation frequency may be considered to be a biological marker of external radiation exposure even years after the exposure. In a group of workers who were internally exposed and had incorporated plutonium-239 at a body burden >1.48 kBq, mFISH revealed a considerable number of cells with complex chromosomal rearrangements. Linear associations were observed for translocation yield with the absorbed RBM dose from external gamma-rays as well as for complex chromosomal rearrangements with the plutonium-239 body burden.
Southern Urals Biophysics Institute (SUBI), 19 Ozyorskoe Shosse, Ozyorsk, Chelyabinsk Region, 456780, Russia, sotnik@subi.su.
Natalia V
NV
Sotnik
Sergey V
SV
Osovets
Harry
H
Scherthan
Tamara V
TV
Azizova
D002869:Chromosome Aberrations / Q000528:radiation effects*; D003116:Color; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D009688:Nuclear Reactors; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis*; D011874:Radiometry / Q000379:methods*; D012426:Russia; D055815:Young Adult