[Analysis of the effect of occupational radiation exposure on peripheral blood lymphocyte micronucleus frequency...

Objective: To explore the lag effects of occupational exposure doses on the peripheral blood lymphocytes micronucleus frequency in the radiation workers. Methods: In October 2024, 191 radiation workers who participated in occupational health examination in Chongqing Center for Disease Control and Prevention from 2017 to 2020 were selected as the research objects to detect the micronucleus rate of peripheral blood lymphocytes. The 4-year exposure dose (mSv) was obtained. The distributed lag non-linear model (DLNM) combined with the generalized Linear model (GLM) model was used to analyze the exposure lag response relationship between the average annual exposure dose and the micronucleus rate of peripheral blood lymphocytes in 2020. Relative Risk (RR) was used to quantify the risk of radiation exposure to micronucleus in peripheral blood lymphocytes. Results: The median annual exposure doses of radiation workers in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 were 0.42 mSv, 0.50 mSv, 0.28 mSv and 0.20 mSv, respectively, and the maximum values were 7.72 mSv, 5.41 mSv, 4.09 mSv and 2.82 mSv, respectively. The median annual exposure dose decreased by 0.09 mSv (R(2)=0.707), and the maximum annual exposure dose showed a significant downward trend (R(2)=0.976, P=0.012), showing an overall downward trend year by year. The micronucleus rate of lymphocytes in 2020 was less than 6 ‰, and there was no micronucleus abnormality. Micronucleus rate higher than 1 ‰ accounted for 10 %. Based on the analysis of the DLNM model, the cross-base of the annual exposure dose was associated with an increase in the lymphocyte micronucleus rate RR after adjusting for gender and age (P<0.05). The RR of lag 3 years was 1.30 (95%CI: 1.16~1.45) at 0.40 mSv annual exposure dose. The annual exposure dose of lag effect was nonlinear with the micronucleus rate of lymphocytes, and the exposure-response curve was "J" type. When the annual exposure dose was higher than 3.00 mSv, RR increased exponentially. Conclusion: This study found that low-dose radiation increased micronuclei occurrence after 3 years, and the annual exposure dose with lag effects on the lymphocyte micronucleus frequency was nonlinear, suggesting that to better protect the radiological occupational population, the annual exposure dose should be reduced as much as possible.