Estimation of the biological dose received by five victims of a radiation accident using three different cytogenetic tools

The present study aims to estimate the biological doses received by five victims (A, B, C, D and E) of the Shanxi Taiyuan radiation accident in China of 2008 and to investigate the value of the cytokinesis-block micronuclei (CBMN) and premature chromosome condensation (PCC) assays in the estimation of biological doses received by the victims of a radiation accident. Conventional chromosome aberration analysis and the CBMN assay, as well as a drug-induced PCC assay recently established by our group, were performed on peripheral blood and bone marrow samples from five victims after the accident. The biological doses were estimated by scoring dicentrics plus centric rings, micronuclei and PCC rings. A high dose–effect curve and the nuclear division index (NDI) we previously established were used to estimate the dose received by victim A, the most highly affected victim of the five. The doses for the five victims (A, B, C, D and E) were 12.4, 3.4, 2.5, 2.1 and 2.2 Gy, respectively, estimated by scoring dicentrics plus rings in peripheral blood lymphocytes. Similar results were obtained by combining the CBMN and NDI (CBMN + NDI) assays and the PCC assay. The doses estimated by the three methods were in accordance with the clinical symptoms observed. The specific dicentric assay with a low background level may be a better indicator for biological dose evaluation than the CBMN and PCC assays. The high dose curve we established is reliable and could become a suitable supplement to traditional biodosimetry for dose estimation. The CBMN and drug-induced PCC assays are simple, rapid and accurate. The two methods reinforce and verify the results observed with chromosome aberration analysis.

► The biological doses for five victims were estimated by three cytogenetic tools.
► The dose of victim A was 12.4 Gy by dicentrics plus dicentric rings scoring.
► The high dose curve we established was adopted and proved reliable.
► Bone marrow can be a reliable alternative to peripheral blood in case of need.
► Micronuclei and PCC assay reinforced the result of dicentrics analysis.