Summary of biodosimetry at radiological accidents

At the time of radiation exposure accidents, for carrying out medical treatment and for presuming the future of exposed people, the evaluation of personal exposure dose is important. However, due to the uneven exposure in whole body exposure, the possibility of local exposure and so on, the estimation of personal exposure dose is not necessarily easy. Therefore, it becomes necessary to estimate exposure dose using personal body samples. The biodosimetry using the change in peripheral blood, the abnormality in chromosomes and so on becomes necessary. In this report, the outline of biodosimetry at the time of radiation exposure is reviewed. At the time of accidents, there are the possibility of exposure to multiple radiations, the variety of energy, the unevenness in the direction of exposure, the possibility of contamination of dosimeters and so on. In such case, it is unavoidable to estimate dose utilizing the samples obtained from the bodies of exposed people, such as blood, erythrocytes, leucocytes, lymphocytes, genital glands, sperms, skin, hairs, teeth and so on. Biodosimetry in skin exposure, biodosimetry using blood, chromosome abnormality, the measurement of mutation frequency of body cells, biochemistry, brain waves, sperm chromosomes and electron spin resonance are explained. (K.I.)