Chromosomal aberrations in atomic bomb survivors

Radiation-induced chromosomal aberrations have persisted for many years in the somatic cells of atomic bomb survivors in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Based on the T65DR dose estimates, a statistically significant dose-response relationship for chromosomal aberration frequencies exists in both cities, but the coefficient of linear regression for aberration frequencies is higher in Hiroshima than in Nagasaki by a factor of 2. A preliminary analysis of cytogenetic data at ABCC-RERF indicates that the inter-city difference observed with the T65DR doses becomes less pronounced with the new dosimetry system (DS86), although the regression coefficient is still higher in Hiroshima than in Nagasaki. The majority of chromosomal aberrations detectable to date are of the stable type, such as reciprocal translocations and inversions, and they are major components contributing to the dose-response relationship. (author) 50 refs