The medical technologist and the radiation-accident victim

Radiation accidents may produce external or internal contamination with radionuclides, local or whole-body exposure to penetrating radiation, or a combination of these. Trauma and medical problems which require rapid diagnosis and treatment may accompany a radiation injury. The role of the medical technologist in the early post-injury period may include the use of precautions in handling of contaminated specimens, prompt and repeated determinations of the absolute lymphocyte count, establishment of baseline values of the cellular and chemical components of the blood, and urinalysis. Following significant whole-body exposure to penetrating radiation, laboratory tests are required to monitor the development of granulocytopenia and thrombocytopenia and to provide information necessary for the prevention, control, and treatment of infection and/or bleeding. Chromosome analysis may aid in dosimetry, and a procedure for collecting and shipping blood for analysis by experts in radiation cytogenetics is described.