CYTOGENETIC EFFECTS IN LYMPHOCYTES FROM CHILDREN EXPOSED TO RADIATIONFALLOUT AFTER THE CHERNOBYL ACCIDENT

In a previous paper we reported that a group of children exposed to io nizing radiation following the Chernobyl accident exhibited an appreci able number of chromosome breaks and rearrangements reflecting the per sistence of a radiation-induced damage. The results suggested that the children were still exposed to radioactive contamination through cons umer foodstuff and life styles. In the present paper, 31 exposed child ren have been considered together with a control group of 11 children with the aim to confirm previous results. All children underwent whole -body counter (WBC) measures and conventional cytogenetic analysis. Th e frequency of chromosome aberrations detected by conventional cytogen etics in the group of children chronically exposed to low doses of ion izing radiation resulted in significant differences with respect to th e control group. The present work suggests that, for these groups of c hildren, even if the frequency of aberrations is very low and the obse rvation of statistically significant differences is consequently a pro blem, a persistently abnormal cytogenetic picture is still present sev eral years after the accident. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.