Radio-adaptive response to environmental exposures at Chernobyl

The genetic consequences resulting from environmental exposure to ionizing radiation have a significant impact on both radiation regulatory policies and the comprehension of the human health risks associated with radiation exposure. The primary objectives of the study were to assess 1) genotoxicity of exposure to radiation as a function of absorbed dose and dose rate, and 2) induction of a radio-adaptive response following a priming dose at varying dose rates. Results demonstrated that sub-acute environmental exposures of 10cGy gamma radiation resulted in indistinguishable levels of chromosomal damage as compared to controls. A radio-adaptive response was observed in all experimental groups, exposed to a subsequent acute challenge dose of 1.5 Gy, demonstrating that low dose rates of low energy transfer (LET) radiation are effective in reducing genetic damage from a subsequent acute low-LET radiation exposure. Furthermore, the data presented herein demonstrate a potential beneficial effect of sub-chronic exposure to low levels of low-LET radiation in an environmental setting and do not support the Linear No Threshold (LNT) hypothesis.