On the spontaneous frequency of the structural chromosome aberrations (anomalies) in lymphocytes from human blood

Chromosomal aberrations are observed both in irradiated cells and in cells which have not been irradiated but submitted to the action of the natural radioactive background. The reasons for these ''spontaneous chromosomal aberrations'' are both the natural radioactivity and a complex of physical, chemical and biological factors. A cytogenetic analysis of 6000 lymphocytes metaphases from the peripheral blood of 47 people indicates that the overall amount of the spontaneous aberrations is 2% with a ratio of chromosomal type aberrations to chromatide type aberrations of 1:5. Chromatide type aberrations are seen as the result of purely mechanical factors acting during slides preparation but yet another unknown moments cannot be excluded. They are more one hit type aberrations - chromatide and chromosomal fragments, wereas the two hit aberrations are very rare - one dicentric per 3000 cells. The chromosome type aberrations are proposed for comparison with radiation induced aberrations in human lymphocytes. They have a frequency of 0.0035 per cell or 0.0040 breakages per cell. Ionizing radiation does not induce qualitatively specific type of aberrations but increases many times the yield of anomalies, which are spontaneously observed. (A.B.)