Comparative Retrospective Analysis of the Results of Cytogenetic Studies of Employees of the Object of Use of Ionizing Radiation

Abstract

Purpose: To conduct a comparative retrospective analysis of the results of cytogenetic studies of workers at facilities using ionizing radiation in 2003 and 2018. Material and methods: The material for the study was the venous blood of workers at facilities using ionizing radiation. The study was conducted on conditionally healthy workers (n = 11), of which 2 groups were formed: the control group (blood sampling and cytogenetic study of blood lymphocytes were carried out in 2003) and the study group (blood sampling was carried out in 2018). For all examined individuals, blood lymphocytes were cultured and standard cytogenetic analysis followed by statistical processing of the results. Results: A comparative retrospective analysis showed that in the study group (2018) compared to the control group (2003), the frequency of chromatid fragments was reduced (p = 0.0452). The frequencies of other types of cytogenetic disorders studied (aberrant cells, chromosomal fragments, dicentric and circular chromosomes) do not differ between groups. Cytogenetic abnormalities in blood lymphocytes are a highly sensitive measure of the degree of radiation exposure in the early and late periods after exposure and can be used as a biological indicator of ionizing radiation. The absence of differences in indicators of radiation exposure markers may be due to the large interval of time that elapsed after irradiation until the moment of examination (15 years), during which lymphocytes with chromosomal aberrations were eliminated from the blood. In the future, for the completeness of the retrospective analysis and the accuracy of the result, it is planned to conduct a study on a larger sample with a shorter time interval between cytogenetic studies. Conclusion: The result of this work allows us to supplement the understanding of the mutation process in the somatic cells of individuals exposed to ionizing radiation in the course of professional activities and indicates genotoxicity.