BIOLOGICAL DOSIMETRY AFTER A CRITICALITY ACCIDENT

In the case of a criticality accident, there are two radiation compone nts, i.e. neutron and gamma, and the exposure is heterogeneous. The av ailable techniques are biophysical techniques, which can give data abo ut the dose distribution and the neutron component dose, classical tec hniques (electroencephalography, lymphocytes counting, dicentric and a centric fragments counting, biochemical indicators) which can give an estimation of the mean biological dose, new biochemical parameters whi ch are good indicators of vital prognosis and new cytogenetic techniqu es under study. Biological dosimetry or rather research of biological indicators of irradiation remains difficult, particularly because of t he heterogeneity of exposure. A multiparametric determination seems th e only solution.