Assessment of genotoxic damage in lymphocytes of hospital workers exposed to ionizing radiation in Argentina.

The authors aimed to assess genotoxic damage in the lymphocytes of workers chronically exposed to ionizing radiation. The studied population included 15 exposed donors of the radiology unit of a public hospital in La Plata, Argentina. The control group included 15 nonexposed employers from administrative areas that the authors matched by age, sex, and smoking habits. The mean frequency of cytogenetic damage was higher in the exposed group than in the unexposed group for aneuploidy and structural chromosome aberrations. They observed the highest difference when achromatic lesions (or gaps) were considered. The comet assay showed that the frequency of cells with low damage was higher in the exposed group than in the unexposed group. A mean length analysis showed significant differences between exposed and nonexposed people. The results can be considered to be consistent evidence of occupational radiation exposure, and the results indicate that the workers must be advised to avoid or minimize their exposure.