Dose AssessmentBy Chromosomal Aberration Analysis In Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes OfNon-Radiation Workers Having Suspected Radiation Injuries

摘要

In this paper an incident involving accidental exposure of nine non-radiation workers to Cesium-137 gamma rays,which occurred while repairing the instrument in an instrumentation laboratory, is described. The cohort included eight men and onewoman aged between 26 to 52 years. After two weeks, some of the workers developed radiation burns, erythema, epilation,ulceration and necrosis in the palm and fingers indicating high-localized exposures. After about a month following exposure,chromosomal aberration analysis was carried out using cultured peripheral blood lymphocytes. About 500 – 1000 metaphases wereanalyzed per sample for the presence of dicentrics, rings and fragments. From the yield of unstable dicentrics aberrations, theequivalent whole-body doses were estimated using in vitro dose response curve established for Cobalt – 60 gamma rays. The doseestimates ranged from 65mGy to 135mGy. The results presented in this paper reconfirm the reliability of Chromosomal AberrationAnalysis method for investigating suspected overexposure to ionizing radiation, especially when physical dosimetry is not availableand also to ascertain that equivalent whole body doses are not high in spite of localized skin burns. In radiation accidents, doseestimates are crucial for risk assessment and medical management of exposed victims.