Impact of long-term exposure to chemical agents on exposure to ionising radiation

摘要

Exposure to ionising radiation alone is a rare event since we usually experience exposures to a complex mixture of chemical and physical agents, which may interact in as yet unknown ways. As ionising radiation is a well-known genotoxic stressor, it is of interest to investigate the impact of the prolonged exposure to certain chemical agents on radiation responses. Human lymphoblastoid cell lines were grown in the presence of relatively low levels of chemical genotoxins with different modes of action (to date, bulky adduct formation and reactive oxygen generation). Following chemical exposure, a challenge dose of low LET ionising radiation was given. Standard cytogenetic methods were employed which consisted of scoring chromosome aberrations (CA) and micronuclei (MN) along with alterations in the cell cycle. This study will produce a set of in vitro data which may provide a preliminary insight into the complex issue of combined exposures. Results of this study may help assess the need for further studies of combined chemical/radiation exposures which may be required for more accurate health risk assessments for occupational, environmental and medical exposures to chemicals and radiation.