title: Analysis of EPR and FISH studies of radiation doses in persons who lived in the upper reaches of the Techa River.
abstract: Waterborne radioactive releases into the Techa River from the Mayak Production Association in Russia during 1949-1956 resulted in significant doses to about 30,000 persons who lived in downstream settlements. The residents were exposed to internal and external radiation. Two methods for reconstruction of the external dose are considered in this paper, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) measurements of teeth, and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) measurements of chromosome translocations in circulating lymphocytes. The main issue in the application of the EPR and FISH methods for reconstruction of the external dose for the Techa Riverside residents was strontium radioisotopes incorporated in teeth and bones that act as a source of confounding local exposures. In order to estimate and subtract doses from incorporated (89,90)Sr, the EPR and FISH assays were supported by measurements of (90)Sr-body burdens and estimates of (90)Sr concentrations in dental tissues by the luminescence method. The resulting dose estimates derived from EPR to FISH measurements for residents of the upper Techa River were found to be consistent: The mean values vary from 510 to 550 mGy for the villages located close to the site of radioactive release to 130-160 mGy for the more distant villages. The upper bound of individual estimates for both methods is equal to 2.2-2.3 Gy. The EPR- and FISH-based dose estimates were compared with the doses calculated for the donors using the most recent Techa River Dosimetry System (TRDS). The TRDS external dose assessments are based on the data on contamination of the Techa River floodplain, simulation of air kerma above the contaminated soil, age-dependent lifestyles and individual residence histories. For correct comparison, TRDS-based doses were calculated from two sources: external exposure from the contaminated environment and internal exposure from (137)Cs incorporated in donors' soft tissues. It is shown here that the TRDS-based absorbed doses in tooth enamel and muscle are in agreement with EPR- and FISH-based estimates within uncertainty bounds. Basically, this agreement between the estimates has confirmed the validity of external doses calculated with the TRDS.
authors.affiliation: Urals Research Center for Radiation Medicine, 68a Vorovsky Street, Chelyabinsk, Russian Federation, 454076. marina@urcrm.ru.
authors.forename: M O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Degteva
authors.affiliation: Urals Research Center for Radiation Medicine, 68a Vorovsky Street, Chelyabinsk, Russian Federation, 454076.
authors.forename: N B
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Shagina
authors.affiliation: Urals Research Center for Radiation Medicine, 68a Vorovsky Street, Chelyabinsk, Russian Federation, 454076. lena@urcrm.ru.
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Shishkina
authors.affiliation: Urals Research Center for Radiation Medicine, 68a Vorovsky Street, Chelyabinsk, Russian Federation, 454076.
authors.forename: A V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Vozilova
authors.affiliation: Urals Research Center for Radiation Medicine, 68a Vorovsky Street, Chelyabinsk, Russian Federation, 454076.
authors.forename: A Y
authors.initials: AY
authors.lastname: Volchkova
authors.affiliation: Urals Research Center for Radiation Medicine, 68a Vorovsky Street, Chelyabinsk, Russian Federation, 454076.
authors.forename: M I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Vorobiova
authors.affiliation: Helmholtz Centrum Munich, Neuherberg, Germany.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wieser
authors.affiliation: Instituto Superiore di Sanita, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fattibene
authors.affiliation: Instituto Superiore di Sanita, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Della Monaca
authors.affiliation: Public Health England, Chilton, Didcot, UK.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ainsbury
authors.affiliation: Public Health England, Chilton, Didcot, UK.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Moquet
authors.affiliation: University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
authors.forename: L R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Anspaugh
authors.affiliation: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA.
authors.forename: B A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Napier
mesh_terms: D065638:Absorption, Radiation; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001681:Biological Assay; D003743:Dental Enamel / Q000737:chemistry*; D004578:Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000737:chemistry*; D000069079:Radiation Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D011834:Radiation Monitoring; D018788:Radioactive Hazard Release; D011850:Radioactive Waste / Q000032:analysis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012426:Russia; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013326:Strontium Radioisotopes / Q000032:analysis*; D014875:Water Pollutants, Radioactive / Q000032:analysis; D014915:Whole-Body Counting
chemical_list: D011850:Radioactive Waste; D013326:Strontium Radioisotopes; D014875:Water Pollutants, Radioactive
keywords: Dose reconstruction; Electron paramagnetic resonance; Environmental contamination; Fluorescence in situ hybridization; Techa River