Accident scenario |
On September 18, 1968, a radiation
accident occurred when material was being tested with a 192-iridium rod;
Six workers became accidentally exposed but only one of these, a 31-year-old
man, appeared severely injured by closer contact with the rod (deposited
in jacket pocket). Only this man has been examined cytogenetically. Taking
into account the time factor and radiation type, the local radiation exposure
was physically estimated at between 4,000 and 6,000 R in the pelvic and
thigh regions. Therefore, the whole-body dose must have been about 200
rads according to a preliminary calculation; this value was corrected to
about 100 rads after a more detailed analysis of the accident. This dose
estimation corresponded to the local inflammatory skin alterations and
the effect on the gonads (hypospermia to aspermia). |
Early clinical findings |
The initial bone-marrow sample taken
from the exposed area (iliac crest) showed typical cytomorphological alterations
seen after radiation exposure. Especially striking was an accumulation
of pathological mitoses in the erythropoetic system. |
Chromosomal dosimetry |
Forty-eight hours after accident, 20
ml of peripheral blood were taken, and two parallel lymphocyte cultures
were set up; one for 51 hours and the other for 53 hours of incubation
time. |
Reference |
Schneider GJ, Chone B and Blonnigen T: Chromosomal
aberrations in a radiation accident: Dosimetric and hematological aspect.
Radiat. Res., 40: 613-617, 1969. |
Chromosome aberration analysis |