Recent experience in applying the cytogenetic dosimetry assay

This paper considers how well standard calibration curve for translocations constructed for lymphocyte cultures irradiated in vitro with gamma-rays from 60Co compares with the translocations yield in lymphocytes taken from people at a long post-exposure time. Data were used from radiation accident victims overexposed to doses ranging from 0.2 to 8.5 Gy and who were cytogenetically followed-up for various times upto 50 y. Their cultured lymphocytes had been scored both by the conventional dicentric method and by FISH for all translocations involving painted chromosomes (2, 3, 8); (2, 3, 5) or (2, 4, 12). The in vivo dose response relationship was derived by fitting translocation frequencies to the contemporary individual doses obtained independently and confirmed by different biological assays and physical dosimetry. A comparison with the conventional in vitro curve indicates reductions of translocation frequencies with increasing time which would prejudice retrospective dose assessment by FISH. This has led to the possibility to amend the in vitro dose response curve for translocations to make it more suitable for use in retrospective biodosimetry. This approach for retrospective biodosimetry therefore uses a dose response relationship based on truly persisting translocations.