[Effect of light on the survival of experimental animals exposed to ionizing radiation]

The correlation between radiation injury and light and dark regimen after x-ray irradiation was studied in experiments on mice and rabbits. Irradiation dose for mice was 0.17 Cl/kg (650 P), for rabbits 0.23 Cl/kg (1100 P). For 30 days before irradiation the experimental groups were kept 22 h a day in the darkness and 2 h under artificial illumination. The control animals were kept under conditions of normal day and light alternation. The data obtained suggest that darkness is a factor enhancing radiation injury.