THE INVESTIGATION OF MICRONUCLEI FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION FOR EXPOSED AND UNEXPOSED PERSONNEL TO IONIZING RADIATION

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Radiation Biology
• Biomonitoring

Background:

• Micronuclei (MN) are biomarkers of genotoxicity.
• Occupational exposure to ionizing radiation is a concern in various industries.
• Understanding factors influencing MN frequency is crucial for risk assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between occupational ionizing radiation exposure and MN frequency.
• To determine if age, gender, or smoking habits modify this relationship.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of peripheral blood samples from 2151 subjects.
• Categorization of subjects into exposed (n=1773) and unexposed (n=378) groups.
• Statistical analysis of MN frequency in relation to exposure duration, age, gender, and smoking status.

Main Results:

• MN frequency showed a monotonic increase with age in all investigated categories.
• For exposed subjects, MN frequency increased by 1.75 ± 0.17 times with age.
• The observed increase in MN frequency was independent of gender and smoking habit.

Conclusions:

• Age is a significant factor influencing MN frequency in individuals occupationally exposed to ionizing radiation.
• Ionizing radiation exposure elevates MN frequency, with age being a key modulator.
• Gender and smoking habits do not appear to significantly alter MN frequency in this context.