|
2. Research within the 4th and 5th Framework Programmes (FP4: 1994-1998; FP5: 1998-2002)
Studies on non-cancer effects
Although cancer risk at low doses dominates considerations in radiation protection, FP4 also gave attention to aspects of germ line damage and to pre-natal (in utero) effects on the developing brain. Radiation effects on in utero brain development are evident from the follow-up of the A-bomb survivors in Japan and a relatively large study was devoted to gaining a cellular/molecular understanding of the processes involved; animal behaviour was also considered. In brief, in FP4, in utero effects of radiation on the developing brain were revealed at relatively low doses but the general pattern of such effects were consistent with a low dose threshold of similar magnitude to that currently judged from the A-bomb data on humans.
A project sought and found evidence that hypermutable minisatellite sequences in the human germ line can act as biomarkers of radiation damage. This study which investigated generations of families from regions of Semipalatinsk (FSU) contaminated with fallout from nuclear tests provides the most convincing molecular evidence to date of such radiation-associated germ cell mutation in humans. Selected studies on the hypermutability of certain genomic sequences have been included in FP5 research. |
