Emerging issues in radiogenic cataracts and cardiovascular disease.
In 2011, the International Commission on Radiological Protection issued a statement on tissue reactions (formerly termed non-stochastic or deterministic effects) to recommend lowering the threshold for cataracts and the occupational equivalent dose limit for the crystalline lens of the eye. Furthermore, this statement was the first to list circulatory disease (cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease) as a health hazard of radiation exposure and to assign its threshold for the heart and brain. These changes have stimulated various discussions and may have impacts on some radiation workers, such as those in the medical sector. This paper considers emerging issues associated with cataracts and cardiovascular disease. For cataracts, topics dealt with herein include (i) the progressive nature, stochastic nature, target cells and trigger events of lens opacification, (ii) roles of lens protein denaturation, oxidative stress, calcium ions, tumor suppressors and DNA repair factors in cataractogenesis, (iii) dose rate effect, radiation weighting factor, and classification systems for cataracts, and (iv) estimation of the lens dose in clinical settings. Topics for cardiovascular disease include experimental animal models, relevant surrogate markers, latency period, target tissues, and roles of inflammation and cellular senescence. Future research needs are also discussed.
Radiation Safety Research Center, Nuclear Technology Research Laboratory, Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry (CRIEPI), 2-11-1 Iwado-kita, Komae, Tokyo 201-8511, Japan hamada-n@criepi.denken.or.jp.
Nobuyuki
N
Hamada
Radiation Safety Research Center, Nuclear Technology Research Laboratory, Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry (CRIEPI), 2-11-1 Iwado-kita, Komae, Tokyo 201-8511, Japan.
Yuki
Y
Fujimichi
Radiation Safety Research Center, Nuclear Technology Research Laboratory, Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry (CRIEPI), 2-11-1 Iwado-kita, Komae, Tokyo 201-8511, Japan.
Toshiyasu
T
Iwasaki
Kyoto University Research Reactor Institute (KURRI), 2 Asashiro-nishi, Kumatori-cho, Sennan-gun, Osaka 590-0494, Japan.
Noriko
N
Fujii
Department of Cardiovascular, Renal and Metabolic Medicine, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, S-1, W-16, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-8543, Japan.
Masato
M
Furuhashi
Department of Ophthalmology, Kanazawa Medical University, 1-1 Daigaku, Kahoku, Ishikawa 920-0293, Japan.
Eri
E
Kubo
Department of Cardiovascular Biology and Medicine, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, 1-754 Asahimachidori, Chuo-ku, Niigata 951-8510, Japan.
Tohru
T
Minamino
Radiation Safety Research Center, Nuclear Technology Research Laboratory, Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry (CRIEPI), 2-11-1 Iwado-kita, Komae, Tokyo 201-8511, Japan.
Takaharu
T
Nomura
Department of Radiological Sciences, Ibaraki Prefectural University of Health Sciences, 4669-2 Ami, Inashiki, Ibaraki 300-0394, Japan.
Hitoshi
H
Sato
D000818:Animals; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D002386:Cataract / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D015995:Prevalence; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011832:Radiation Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D011835:Radiation Protection; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors
cardiovascular disease; cataract; radiation protection; threshold