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Effective dose of A-bomb radiation in Hiroshima and Nagasaki as assessed by chromosomal effectiveness of spectrum energy photons and neutrons

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Abstract

The effective dose of combined spectrum energy neutrons and high energy spectrum γ-rays in A-bomb survivors in Hiroshima and Nagasaki has long been a matter of discussion. The reason is largely due to the paucity of biological data for high energy photons, particularly for those with an energy of tens of MeV. To circumvent this problem, a mathematical formalism was developed for the photon energy dependency of chromosomal effectiveness by reviewing a large number of data sets published in the literature on dicentric chromosome formation in human lymphocytes. The chromosomal effectiveness was expressed by a simple multiparametric function of photon energy, which made it possible to estimate the effective dose of spectrum energy photons and differential evaluation in the field of mixed neutron and γ-ray exposure with an internal reference radiation. The effective dose of reactor-produced spectrum energy neutrons was insensitive to the fine structure of the energy distribution and was accessible by a generalized formula applicable to the A-bomb neutrons. Energy spectra of all sources of A-bomb γ-rays at different tissue depths were simulated by a Monte Carlo calculation applied on an ICRU sphere. Using kerma-weighted chromosomal effectiveness of A-bomb spectrum energy photons, the effective dose of A-bomb neutrons was determined, where the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of neutrons was expressed by a dose-dependent variable RBE, RBE(γ, D n), against A-bomb γ-rays as an internal reference radiation. When the newly estimated variable RBE(γ, D n) was applied to the chromosome data of A-bomb survivors in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the city difference was completely eliminated. The revised effective dose was about 35% larger in Hiroshima, 19% larger in Nagasaki and 26% larger for the combined cohort compared with that based on a constant RBE of 10. Since the differences are significantly large, the proposed effective dose might have an impact on the magnitude of the risk estimates deduced from the A-bomb survivor cohort.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to the Radiation Effects Research Foundation (RERF) for making use of the chromosome aberration database ca1993. RERF is a private foundation founded by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, and the US Department of Energy through the US National Academy of Sciences. The conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the scientific judgment of RERF or its funding agencies. We wish to acknowledge Albrecht M. Kellerer for the most helpful critical discussions during preparation of this manuscript. The experiments using the YAYOI nuclear reactor were carried out as a collaborative research project chaired by Itsuro Kimura. This work was supported in part by the Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, Sports and Technology of Japan.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Radiation Biology Center, Kyoto University, Yoshida-konoecho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan

    M. S. Sasaki

  2. Research Institute for Radiation Biology and Medicine, Hiroshima University, Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima, 734-8553, Japan

    S. Endo & M. Hoshi

  3. Hiroshima Prefectural College of Health Science, Gakuen-cho, Mihara, 723-0053, Japan

    Y. Ejima

  4. Nuclear Professional School, University of Tokyo, Tokai-mura, Ibaraki, 319-1100, Japan

    I. Saito, K. Okamura & Y. Oka

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  1. M. S. Sasaki
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Correspondence to M. S. Sasaki.

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Sasaki, M.S., Endo, S., Ejima, Y. et al. Effective dose of A-bomb radiation in Hiroshima and Nagasaki as assessed by chromosomal effectiveness of spectrum energy photons and neutrons. Radiat Environ Biophys 45, 79–91 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00411-006-0051-6

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