Studies of effects of radiation exposure on children

This review describes the title subject from the aspect of age difference in humans and experimental animals. Epidemiological studies on A-bomb survivors have revealed that the effects are dependent on the dose, sex, age at exposure and attained age after the exposure. Analysis of the survivor cohort shows that the younger is the age at exposure, the higher the risk of cancer death at an attained age. However, the risk is suggested small and insignificant regardless to the age of exposure at the low dose 0.005-0.5 Gy. The risk of carcinogenesis at the attained age 50 y of exposed children is 1.7 while that of exposed fetuses, 0.42. There are no confounding factors in animal experiments. Risks of carcinogenesis and life-span reduction have been found the highest in the exposed mouse neonate (0-7 days old). In authors' studies with gamma-ray, it is shown that females are more susceptible, the risk is the highest in 1 week old infants and is the lowest in fetuses at 17 days after gestation at <1 Gy dose. That the susceptible age to cancer formation differs on the organ is also shown, where at exposure to the late phase fetuses/neonates/infants, increased incidence of cancers thereafter is seen in the brain, kidney, liver, mammary gland, lung, gut and T-lymphocytes in contrast to adults in which the lung cancer and marrow leukemia are major. Carcinogenic radiation response of infant seems different from that of adult: after exposure, adult gut cells die due to the apoptosis through p53-Noxa-caspase pathway but at the developing age, p53-p21 pathway is activated leading to the arrest of cell cycle, resulting in survival of DNA-injured cells. Studies on the age difference of cancer formation is conceivably important for elucidation of radiation carcinogenesis for radiation protection and risk reduction. (T.T.)