Radiation equivalency of 1, 2-dimethylhydrazine in rats

A scale based upon the induction of anti-tumor cellular immune responses has been described which relates the in vivo mutagenic/carcinogenic potential of an environmental agent with that of ionizing radiation. Such a potential (radiation equivalency) has now been determined in rats for the gastrointestinal carcinogen 1, 2,-dimethylhydrazine as compared with the effects induced by X-irradiation of only the small intestine. The preliminary results suggest that such scales may be readily constructed based upon environmental immunology concepts which relate the potential hazard of an agent to be weighed alongside the maximum allowable population limits of ionizing radiation.