Author(s): H. Sh. Weinberg ; A. B. Korol ; V. M. Kirzhner ; A. Avivi ; T. Fahima ; Eviatar Nevo ; S. Shapiro ; G. Rennert ; O. Piatak ; E. I. Stepanova ; E. Skvarskaja
DOI: doi10.1098/rspb.2001.1650
Abstract:
Exposure to ionizing radiation has long been suspected to increase mutation load
in humans. Nevertheless, such events as atomic bombing seem not to have yielded
significant genetic defects. The Chernobyl accident created a different,
long-term exposure to radiation. Clean-up teams (or 'liquidators') of the
Chernobyl reactor are among those who received the highest doses, presumably in
some combination of acute and chronic forms. In this study, children born to
liquidator families (currently either in the Ukraine or Israel) conceived after
(CA) parental exposure to radiation were screened for the appearance of new
fragments using multi-site DNA fingerprinting. Their sibs conceived before (CB)
exposure served as critical internal controls, in addition to external controls
(non-exposed families). An unexpectedly high (sevenfold) increase in the number
of new bands in CA individuals compared with the level seen in controls was
recorded. A strong tendency for the number of new bands to decrease with elapsed
time between exposure and offspring conception was established for the Ukrainian
families. These results indicate that low doses of radiation can induce multiple
changes in human germline DNA.
source: http://fiordiliji.ingentaselect.com/vl=6540751/cl=52/tt=887/ini=rsl/nw=1/rpsv/~887/v268n1471/s2/p1001 7sep03
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