Objective
Work has been carried out to investigate the low dose response for chromosomal aberrations in human lymphocytes exposed to X-rays. Over the dose range 0-50 mGy the data fitted well to a linear regression. However, below 20 mGy, uncertainties in the data suggested the possibility of a threshold and the Pohl-Rueling hypothesis that low doses could induce repair and result in aberration yields below those for zero dose controls, could not be supported or rejected.
Further experiments have been carried out using low doses of fission spectrum neutrons. Blood has been irradiated using 8 doses from 0 to 62.5 mGy and lymphocytes have been cultured. Chromosome preparations are being analysed and data collated.
A study, funded by CEC, was set up essentially to study the effects of low X-ray doses using cells from 4 subjects and the results (Lloyd et al, Int. J. Radiat. Biol. 53, 4, 1988) were compatible with a possible threshold at doses less than 20 mGy. This was later extended (still to be published) to blood from a further 20 subjects. Despite large numbers of cells being analyzed the statistical uncertainties on the data were fairly large. Nevertheless a similar conclusion of a threshold could still be drawn. If the low dose response is really linear as has been the usual assumption in radiobiology, it is remarkable that three studies have all shown, albeit each not significantly, evidence for a low dose plateau in response and a reduction below the control value at 10 mGy or less.
The present project forms an extension of this work to obtain data using low doses of high LET radiation. Samples of blood from 4 subjects will be irradiated at the Fast Neutron Facility at the Reactor Centre Petten, The Netherlands. Expertise from NRPB, together with the staff at the Reactor Centre will be used in the dosimetry. Eight doses (0, 0.25 0.5 0.8 1.25 2.5 12.5 and 62.5 mGy) will be used and the incident neutrons have a mean energy of 1.0 MeV. The irradiated samples will be taken to Leiden for culturing for metaphase preparations using a standard protocol. Many replicate slides will be prepared, coded and distributed between the six participating laboratories for microscope analysis. After scoring the data will be decoded and evaluated by statistical programs at NRPB.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences physical sciences optics microscopy
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics chromosomes
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Coordinator
OX11 0RQ DIDCOT
United Kingdom
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