Measurement of lymphoblastogenic activity from thorium workers

Mitogenic stimulation of peripheral blood lymphocyte cultures obtained from 36 thorium workers was studied to determine whether the response of these cells was affected by the individuals' occupational exposure to alpha irradiation. The standard assay involved incubating 2 X 10(5) lymphocytes per test well for 72 hours in the presence of phytohemagglutinin (PHA), concanavalin A (Con A) or pokeweed mitogen (PWM). The results showed that there was a significant decrease in lymphocyte responsiveness of former thorium workers grouped by decade of life when compared with controls of the same decade of life for each mitogen tested with the exceptions of PHA in the 41-50 age group and PWM in the 51-60 age group. We are unable to correlate the decreased response observed with the measured body burdens, external gamma exposure, or thoron exhalation rates in these thorium cases. However, other occupational exposures (i.e., various chemicals used in processing thorium) cannot be eliminated as a possible cause.