Investigation of Oxidative DNA Damage Levels in Urine of Healthcare Workers Exposed to Ionizing Radiation

This study aimed to assess oxidative DNA damage products in healthcare workers who are directly exposed to or use ionizing radiation in their work. In the study, three groups were defined based on the probability of radiation exposure, ranging from the highest-risk group to the lowest, with the fourth group designated as the control group. First, a questionnaire was administered to the participants, and then their first morning urine samples were taken to detect oxidative DNA damage markers. According to the Kruskal-Wallis test results among the four groups in our study, statistically significant differences were found only in terms of age, height, and weight (p values = 0.011, 0.038, and 0.003, respectively). However, it was observed that there was no significant relationship between the oxidative DNA damage parameters 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OH-dG), and 8,5'-cyclo-2'-deoxyadenosines (S- and R-cdA) in relation to radiation exposure, with p-values of 0.132, 0.179, and 0.611, respectively. The study's results revealed that exposure to ionizing radiation did not cause a significant increase in urinary oxidative DNA damage markers. This outcome may be associated with the effective use of personal protective equipment and strict adherence to radiation safety protocols among healthcare workers.