We have evaluated buccal epithelial cell micronucleus formation as a biomarker of genotoxic damage following occupational exposure to low doses of ionizing radiation. Buccal epithelial cells were collected from 42 occupationally exposed medical personnel and 39 non-exposed individuals (reference group). Each individual in the exposed group was routinely monitored with a personal radiation badge. The frequency of micronucleated cells (MNC) was significantly higher in the exposed group (5.26 vs. 1.33 MNC/2000 cells) and correlated strongly with accumulated radiation dose (Annual Deep Dose, mSv). Occupational exposure to low doses of ionizing radiation was associated with an 80% relative increase in the frequency of MNC (MRR = 1.8; 95% CI: 1.1-2.8), suggesting that such exposures cause DNA damage. This non-invasive biomonitoring method should be generally applicable to studies of workers who are exposed occupationally to low doses of IR.

中文翻译：

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颊上皮细胞微核：职业性接触低剂量电离辐射的敏感，非侵入性生物标志物。

我们已经评估了颊上皮细胞微核的形成，将其作为职业暴露于低剂量电离辐射后的遗传毒性损害的生物标记。从42名职业暴露的医务人员和39名未暴露的个体（参考组）收集颊上皮细胞。定期对暴露组中的每个人进行监测，并配备个人辐射卡。在暴露组中，微核细胞（MNC）的频率显着更高（5.26比1.33 MNC / 2000细胞），并且与累积辐射剂量密切相关（年度深剂量，mSv）。职业性暴露于低剂量的电离辐射中会导致MNC频率相对增加80％（MRR = 1.8； 95％CI：1.1-2.8），表明这种暴露会引起DNA损伤。