Developments in biological dosimetry for the nuclear industry

The purpose of this program is to develop methods for providing estimates of radiation exposure based on changes in the cells/tissues of exposed individuals. This work arises from the need for independent measures of exposure of workers when standard dose measurements are unavailable or questionable. The radiation-induced changes that we propose to measure have been correlated with carcinogenesis. It follows that the methods used should also provide indications of the likely biological consequences of radiation exposure for an individual. The consequences of radiation exposure lie in the resolution of the radiation effects at the cellular level. Accordingly, it is at the cellular level that our attention is directed. More precisely, since the consequences of most concern, cancer induction and the induction of inherited diseases, are the result of changes to the genetic material of cells (the DNA), it is the measurement of effects on DNA that are being investigated as possible dose meters. Individuals are unique in terms of their DNA and differ in their cellular capacities to repair the damage from an ionizing radiation dose. Because of these features, not only do biological dosimetry tools offer us a means of measuring a dose at the individual level but may also provide us with a measure of the ultimate risk associated with a given exposure.