Chromosome breakage in lymphocytes from humans with body burdens of $sup 226$Ra
Peripheral lymphocytes from 10 controls and 40 patients with body burdens of $sup 226$Ra ranging from below the limit of detection to 8.6 $mu$Ci were scored for unstable chromosome aberrations. The patient population was divided into four groups: a group with body burdens below the limit of detection (less than 0.003 $mu$Ci, 12 patients); a low-burden group (0.003 to 0.099 $mu$Ci, 13 patients); a moderate-burden group (0.1 to 0.99 $mu$Ci, 11 patients); and a high-burden group (greater than 1.0 $mu$Ci, 4 patients). In none of these groups was the frequency of cells with unstable aberrations significantly elevated above that in the controls. The rate of occurrence of dicentric and ring chromosomes was above the control frequency in only the two patients with the highest burdens (3.55 and 8.6 $mu$Ci). Our results are consistent with the expectation derived from a recent calculation of alpha dose delivered to blood by bone-deposited radium and its decay products. Marshall and Hoegerman have estimated that the blood dose for an individual with a radium burden of 1.0 $mu$Ci is 0.09 +- 0.03 rad/year. The value is compared with the dose estimate used by Boyd et al. in their study of British radium-dial painters, and the relevance of the blood dose to the lymphocyte dose is discussed. (auth)
- Research Organization:
- Argonne National Lab., IL; Battelle Pacific Northwest Labs., Richland, Wash. (USA); USAEC Division of Biomedical and Environmental Research, Washington, D.C.
- NSA Number:
- NSA-33-023558
- OSTI ID:
- 4052691
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-740930-
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 14. Hanford biology symposium on radiation and the lymphatic system, Richland, Washington, USA, 30 Sep 1974; Other Information: Orig. Receipt Date: 30-JUN-76; Related Information: Radiation and the lymphatic system
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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