HEALTH-STATUS OF CHILDREN WHOSE GRANDPARENTS HAD BEEN SUBJECTED TO OCCUPATIONAL EXTERNAL GAMMA-EXPOSURE

This paper presents the results of long-term studies conducted into th e health state of grandchildren of individuals occupationally exposed to chronic irradiation before conception. Differences between the stud y group and the control group were neither found in the physical devel opment (i.e. morbidity as well as structure and frequency of congenita l maldevelopment), nor in the frequency of chromosomal aberrations in peripheral blood lymphocytes. Multifactorial analyses revealed no radi ological influence on the occurrence of health disorders in grandchild ren of irradiated grandparents. Correlations with non-radiological fac tors (medical, biological, social) were found, however, for a number o f disorders in the cohort of children under study: hypotrophy, allergi c diathesis, morbidity rates, congenital malformations.