2010, Number 1
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Rev Invest Clin 2010; 62 (1)
An assessment of immediate DNA damage to occupationally exposed workers to low dose ionizing radiation by using the comet assay
Martínez A, Coleman M, Romero-Talamás CA, Frías S
Language: English
References: 34
Page: 23-30
PDF size: 78.61 Kb.
ABSTRACT
Background. Several cytogenetic studies have shown an
increased frequency of chromosomal aberrations for workers
exposed to low dose ionizing radiation, however the
dose, type of radiation and management vary among
the areas of work; it is possible that this variation may generate
different quantity of DNA damage, detectable within the
first hours after exposure of the personnel. In this study we
assessed early DNA lesions caused by exposure to low doses
of ionizing radiation in 41 workers from the departments of
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Radiotherapy and a group
of 20 healthy unexposed individuals, all from the same Institution.
Material and methods. Blood samples were
obtained from exposed and unexposed subjects for analysis
of DNA damage using the comet assay. The migration of
the comet’s tail was compared before and after the workday,
as well as among the groups; the relationship between
DNA migration and the exposure dose of the month was
also obtained.
Results. A significant increase in damage to
DNA was seen after workday for the occupationally exposed
group (p ‹ 0.01) as compared with the samples before
workday as well as with those from the unexposed group. A
positive correlation was found between the monthly dose of
radiation and the migration length of DNA before and after
the workday (p ‹ 0.01). There were significant differences
in the length of the comet tails among workers from different
departments: workers from Radiology (28.6 µm) have
less DNA damage than those from Nuclear Medicine and
Radiotherapy (92.5 µm, 63.4 μm respectively) departments.
Conclusions. All the workers occupationally exposed
showed an increase in DNA fragmentation after the workday.
The amount of radiation in all three services is different,
in Nuclear Medicine and Radiotherapy the workers
showed a greater monthly dose of exposure and greater
DNA damage than the Radiology workers. The longer tails
were observed in Nuclear Medicine where radionuclides are
used; these radioactive substances are handled and administered
to patients orally or intravenously by the workers,
which implies a different type of exposure and radiation,
this may explain the differences found in this study. Most
of the DNA damage detected by the comet assay is repaired,
however a part of it may result in stable chromosomal rearrangements
that may represent a long-term health risk. It
is important to sensitize exposed workers on their responsibility
of working with radiation and the improvement of the
hospital safety practices.
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