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Goans RE, Iddins CJ, Goans RE. Estimate of the Deterministic Neutron RBE for Radiation-induced Pseudo-Pelger Huët Cell Formation. HEALTH PHYSICS 2024:00004032-990000000-00181. [PMID: 39222006 DOI: 10.1097/hp.0000000000001881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/04/2024]
Abstract
ABSTRACT Using archival peripheral blood slides from radiation accident patients, we have recently described the pseudo-Pelger Huët anomaly (PPHA) in neutrophils as a new radiation-induced biomarker, useful for dosimetry not only immediately after a radiation incident but also potentially helpful as a tool in retrospective dosimetry. In conjunction with the Radiation Accident Registry at the Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training Site (REAC/TS), the frequency of PPHA cells has been compared from selected patients in the Y-12 criticality accident in Oak Ridge, TN, in 1958 and from the patient in the 1971 60Co accident at the USAEC Comparative Animal Research Laboratory (CARL), also in Oak Ridge. Patients A, C, and D in the Y-12 accident are described as having an average dose of 2.53 ± 0.14 Gy gamma + 0.90 ± 0.05 Gy neutron, while the patient in the CARL event had 2.6 Gy gamma dose from event reconstruction. Since the average gamma energies are almost identical in these two cohorts, it is possible to estimate the deterministic neutron relative biological effectiveness (RBEd) for PPHA formation in a criticality event. The neutron RBEd calculated in this way is an average value over the neutron fission energy spectrum and is found to be 3.4 ± 0.6, in good agreement with the currently recommended value of 3 for acute neutron dose to red marrow.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - C J Iddins
- Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training Site, Oak Ridge, TN
| | - R E Goans
- LMU Debusk School of Medicine, Harrogate, TN
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2
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Blakely WF, Port M, Abend M. Early-response multiple-parameter biodosimetry and dosimetry: risk predictions. JOURNAL OF RADIOLOGICAL PROTECTION : OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR RADIOLOGICAL PROTECTION 2021; 41:R152-R175. [PMID: 34280908 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6498/ac15df] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2021] [Accepted: 07/19/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The accepted generic multiple-parameter and early-response biodosimetry and dosimetry assessment approach for suspected high-dose radiation (i.e. life-threatening) exposure includes measuring radioactivity associated with the exposed individual (if appropriate); observing and recording prodromal signs/symptoms; obtaining serial complete blood counts with white-blood-cell differential; sampling blood for the chromosome-aberration cytogenetic bioassay using the 'gold standard' dicentric assay (premature chromosome condensation assay for exposures >5 Gy photon acute doses equivalent), measurement of proteomic biomarkers and gene expression assays for dose assessment; bioassay sampling, if appropriate, to determine radioactive internal contamination; physical dose reconstruction, and using other available opportunistic dosimetry approaches. Biodosimetry and dosimetry resources are identified and should be setup in advance along with agreements to access additional national, regional, and international resources. This multifaceted capability needs to be integrated into a biodosimetry/dosimetry 'concept of operations' for use in a radiological emergency. The combined use of traditional biological-, clinical-, and physical-dosimetry should be use in an integrated approach to provide: (a) early-phase diagnostics to guide the development of initial medical-management strategy, and (b) intermediate and definitive assessment of radiation dose and injury. Use of early-phase (a) clinical signs and symptoms, (b) blood chemistry biomarkers, and (c) triage cytogenetics shows diagnostic utility to predict acute radiation injury severity.
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Affiliation(s)
- William F Blakely
- Scientific Research Department, Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States of America
| | - Matthias Port
- Bundeswehr Institute of Radiobiology affiliated to the University of Ulm, Munich, Germany
| | - Michael Abend
- Bundeswehr Institute of Radiobiology affiliated to the University of Ulm, Munich, Germany
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Balajee AS, Livingston GK, Escalona MB, Ryan TL, Goans RE, Iddins CJ. Cytogenetic follow-up studies on humans with internal and external exposure to ionizing radiation. JOURNAL OF RADIOLOGICAL PROTECTION : OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR RADIOLOGICAL PROTECTION 2021; 41:S578-S601. [PMID: 34233319 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6498/ac125a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Cells exposed to ionizing radiation have a wide spectrum of DNA lesions that include DNA single-strand breaks, DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs), oxidative base damage and DNA-protein crosslinks. Among them, DSB is the most critical lesion, which when mis-repaired leads to unstable and stable chromosome aberrations. Currently, chromosome aberration analysis is the preferred method for biological monitoring of radiation-exposed humans. Stable chromosome aberrations, such as inversions and balanced translocations, persist in the peripheral blood lymphocytes of radiation-exposed humans for several years and, therefore, are potentially useful tools to prognosticate the health risks of radiation exposure, particularly in the hematopoietic system. In this review, we summarize the cytogenetic follow-up studies performed by REAC/TS (Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training site, Oak Ridge, USA) on humans exposed to internal and external radiation. In the light of our observations as well as the data existing in the literature, this review attempts to highlight the importance of follow-up studies for predicting the extent of genomic instability and its impact on delayed health risks in radiation-exposed victims.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adayabalam S Balajee
- Cytogenetic Biodosimetry Laboratory, Radiation Emergency Assistance Centre/Training Site, Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Oak Ridge, TN, United States of America
| | - Gordon K Livingston
- Cytogenetic Biodosimetry Laboratory, Radiation Emergency Assistance Centre/Training Site, Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Oak Ridge, TN, United States of America
| | - Maria B Escalona
- Cytogenetic Biodosimetry Laboratory, Radiation Emergency Assistance Centre/Training Site, Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Oak Ridge, TN, United States of America
| | - Terri L Ryan
- Cytogenetic Biodosimetry Laboratory, Radiation Emergency Assistance Centre/Training Site, Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Oak Ridge, TN, United States of America
| | - Ronald E Goans
- Cytogenetic Biodosimetry Laboratory, Radiation Emergency Assistance Centre/Training Site, Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Oak Ridge, TN, United States of America
| | - Carol J Iddins
- Cytogenetic Biodosimetry Laboratory, Radiation Emergency Assistance Centre/Training Site, Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Oak Ridge, TN, United States of America
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Boice JD, Quinn B, Al-Nabulsi I, Ansari A, Blake PK, Blattnig SR, Caffrey EA, Cohen SS, Golden AP, Held KD, Jokisch DW, Leggett RW, Mumma MT, Samuels C, Till JE, Tolmachev SY, Yoder RC, Zhou JY, Dauer LT. A million persons, a million dreams: a vision for a national center of radiation epidemiology and biology. Int J Radiat Biol 2021; 98:795-821. [PMID: 34669549 PMCID: PMC10594603 DOI: 10.1080/09553002.2021.1988183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2021] [Revised: 09/27/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Epidemiologic studies of radiation-exposed populations form the basis for human safety standards. They also help shape public health policy and evidence-based health practices by identifying and quantifying health risks of exposure in defined populations. For more than a century, epidemiologists have studied the consequences of radiation exposures, yet the health effects of low levels delivered at a low-dose rate remain equivocal. MATERIALS AND METHODS The Million Person Study (MPS) of U.S. Radiation Workers and Veterans was designed to examine health effects following chronic exposures in contrast with brief exposures as experienced by the Japanese atomic bomb survivors. Radiation associations for rare cancers, intakes of radionuclides, and differences between men and women are being evaluated, as well as noncancers such as cardiovascular disease and conditions such as dementia and cognitive function. The first international symposium, held November 6, 2020, provided a broad overview of the MPS. Representatives from four U.S. government agencies addressed the importance of this research for their respective missions: U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The major components of the MPS were discussed and recent findings summarized. The importance of radiation dosimetry, an essential feature of each MPS investigation, was emphasized. RESULTS The seven components of the MPS are DOE workers, nuclear weapons test participants, nuclear power plant workers, industrial radiographers, medical radiation workers, nuclear submariners, other U.S. Navy personnel, and radium dial painters. The MPS cohorts include tens of thousands of workers with elevated intakes of alpha particle emitters for which organ-specific doses are determined. Findings to date for chronic radiation exposure suggest that leukemia risk is lower than after acute exposure; lung cancer risk is much lower and there is little difference in risks between men and women; an increase in ischemic heart disease is yet to be seen; esophageal cancer is frequently elevated but not myelodysplastic syndrome; and Parkinson's disease may be associated with radiation exposure. CONCLUSIONS The MPS has provided provocative insights into the possible range of health effects following low-level chronic radiation exposure. When the 34 MPS cohorts are completed and combined, a powerful evaluation of radiation-effects will be possible. This final article in the MPS special issue summarizes the findings to date and the possibilities for the future. A National Center for Radiation Epidemiology and Biology is envisioned.
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Affiliation(s)
- John D. Boice
- National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements, Bethesda, MD, USA
- Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Brian Quinn
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | | | - Armin Ansari
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | | | - Steve R. Blattnig
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA, USA
| | - Emily A. Caffrey
- Radian Scientific, LLC, Huntsville, AL, and Risk Assessment Corporation, Neeses, SC, USA
| | - Sarah S. Cohen
- EpidStrategies, a division of ToxStrategies, Inc, Cary, NC, USA
| | | | - Kathryn D. Held
- National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements, Bethesda, MD, USA
- Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Derek W. Jokisch
- Francis Marion University, Florence, SC, USA
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
| | | | - Michael T. Mumma
- Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
- International Epidemiology Institute, Rockville, MD, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Joey Y. Zhou
- United States Department of Energy, Gaithersburg, MD, USA
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Martinez NE, Jokisch DW, Dauer LT, Eckerman KF, Goans RE, Brockman JD, Tolmachev SY, Avtandilashvili M, Mumma MT, Boice JD, Leggett RW. Radium dial workers: back to the future. Int J Radiat Biol 2021; 98:750-768. [PMID: 33900890 PMCID: PMC10563809 DOI: 10.1080/09553002.2021.1917785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2021] [Revised: 04/01/2021] [Accepted: 04/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE This paper reviews the history of the radium dial workers in the United States, summarizes the scientific progress made since the last evaluation in the early 1990s, and discusses current progress in updating the epidemiologic cohort and applying new dosimetric models for radiation risk assessment. BACKGROUND The discoveries of radiation and radioactivity led quickly to medical and commercial applications at the turn of the 20th century, including the development of radioluminescent paint, made by combining radium with phosphorescent material and adhesive. Workers involved with the painting of dials and instruments included painters, handlers, ancillary workers, and chemists who fabricated the paint. Dial painters were primarily women and, prior to the mid to late 1920s, would use their lips to give the brush a fine point, resulting in high intakes of radium. The tragic experience of the dial painters had a significant impact on industrial safety standards, including protection measures taken during the Manhattan Project. The dial workers study has formed the basis for radiation protection standards for intakes of radionuclides by workers and the public. EPIDEMIOLOGIC APPROACH The mortality experience of 3,276 radium dial painters and handlers employed between 1913 and 1949 is being determined through 2019. The last epidemiologic follow-up was 30 years ago when most of these workers were still alive. Nearly 65% were born before 1920, 37.5% were teenagers when first hired, and nearly 50% were hired before 1930 when the habit of placing brushes in mouths essentially stopped. Comprehensive dose reconstruction techniques are being applied to estimate organ doses for each worker related to the intake of 226Ra, 228Ra, and associated photon exposures. Time dependent dose-response analyses will estimate lifetime risks for specific causes of death. DISCUSSION The study of radium dial workers is part of the Million Person Study of low-dose health effects that is designed to evaluate radiation risks among healthy American workers and veterans. Despite being one of the most important and influential radiation effects studies ever conducted, shifting programmatic responsibilities and declining funding led to the termination of the radium program of studies in the early 1990s. Renewed interest and opportunity have arisen. With scientific progress made in dosimetric methodology and models, the ability to perform a study over the entire life span, and the potential applicability to other scenarios such as medicine, environmental contamination and space exploration, the radium dial workers have once again come to the forefront.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole E. Martinez
- Department of Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA
- Center for Radiation Protection Knowledge, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
| | - Derek W. Jokisch
- Center for Radiation Protection Knowledge, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
- Department of Physics and Engineering, Francis Marion University, Florence, SC, USA
| | - Lawrence T. Dauer
- Department of Medical Physics and Department of Radiology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Keith F. Eckerman
- Center for Radiation Protection Knowledge, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
| | | | - John D. Brockman
- Department of Chemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
| | - Sergey Y. Tolmachev
- United States Transuranium and Uranium Registries, College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Washington State University, Richland, WA, USA
| | - Maia Avtandilashvili
- United States Transuranium and Uranium Registries, College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Washington State University, Richland, WA, USA
| | - Michael T. Mumma
- International Epidemiology Institute, Rockville, MD, USA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Epidemiology, Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center and Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - John D. Boice
- Department of Medicine, Division of Epidemiology, Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center and Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Richard W. Leggett
- Center for Radiation Protection Knowledge, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
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Kathren RL, Tolmachev SY. The US Transuranium and Uranium Registries (USTUR): A Five-Decade Follow-Up Of Plutonium and Uranium Workers. HEALTH PHYSICS 2019; 117:118-132. [PMID: 31225827 DOI: 10.1097/hp.0000000000000963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Dedication: The research of the US Transuranium and Uranium Registries relies heavily upon postmortem autopsy findings and radiochemical analysis of tissues. The enormous debt owed to those now-deceased registrants who unselfishly voluntarily participated in the US Transuranium and Uranium Registries program through postmortem donation of their tissues and to those still-living registrants who have volunteered to be future postmortem tissue donors is hereby acknowledged with gratitude. The scientific findings derived from postmortem analysis of these tissues have been instrumental in advancing our understanding of the actinide elements in humans and have led to refinement, validation, and confidence in safety standards for those who work with these elements as well as for the general public. To these generous and anonymous persons who made this ultimate contribution, this paper is dedicated with great thanks and admiration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronald L Kathren
- 1US Transuranium and Uranium Registries, Washington State University, 1845 Terminal Drive, Suite 201, Richland, WA 99354
| | - Sergei Y Tolmachev
- US Transuranium and Uranium Registries, Washington State University, 1845 Terminal Drive, Suite 201, Richland, WA 99354
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