Chromosome aberrations in somatic cells

Evidence concerning cytogenetic effects of A-bomb irradiations on the somatic cells of survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki is reviewed. It has been demonstrated that (1) radiation-induced chromosome aberrations have persisted in the circulating lymphocytes as well as in the bone marrow cells of survivors more than two decades after radiation exposure, and (2) that the chromosome-aberration frequency is in general proportional to the dose received. The relation, if any, between the occurrence of induced structural rearrangements of chromosomes and the health status of the survivors is as yet unknown, and the need for further and continued evaluation for possible associations between them is stressed. (auth.)