Chronic Effects of Ionizing Radiation on the Hematopoietic System

摘要

The cellular and biochemical basis for the cumulative damage manifested in the immature and mature female rats during their maintenance in the selected low level gamma radiation environments were studied. Frequent quantitative measurements were made of the cellular composition of blood and blood forming tissues and of the major protein components of serum. Massive recovery of splenic erythropoiesis under continuous radiation exposure in the absence of marrow recovery was noted. This pointed to a potential role of the spleen for survival under the experimental conditions used, and comparisons of splenectomized with non-splenectomized animals were also performed. Experiments have been started to provide information on post-radiation survival after continuous exposure to ascertain late effects of radiation including stress situations such as heat and cold. (Author)