Cytogenetic analysis (buccal micronucleus cytome assay) of radioactive waste management workers

The Russian Federation is implementing a program for dismantling nuclear-powered submarines and nuclear service vessels decommissioned from the Navy. Program personnel may be exposed to mutagenic and carcinogenic factors, including ionizing radiation. Improved preclinical health diagnostics are desirable, for timely identification of health effects, optimization of preventive measures, and medical interventions. We used an improved version of the buccal micronucleus cytome assay (BMCyt) to conduct cytogenetic status assessment of 59 employees of the Far Eastern Center for Radioactive Waste Management (DalRAO). We observed a statistically significant increase in the frequency of buccal epithelial cells with cytogenetic abnormalities (2.31‰ versus 1.15‰) and a small decrease in the apoptotic index (42 % versus 44 %) in the exposure group vs. controls. An accumulation index of cytogenetic disorders (the ratio of cells with nuclear abnormalities to cells in apoptosis) was determined and significant differences were found between the exposure and control groups. The proposed approach is simple, non-invasive, and highly informative for monitoring the health status of personnel exposed to complex factors in the working environment.