[Mutagenic action of tritium on germ cells of male mice. Aftereffects of 3H-glucose incorporation].

The frequency of dominant lethal mutations (DLM) in differentiating spermatogenic cells and of reciprocal translocations (RT) in stem spermatogonia, as well as the loss of testis mass were determined after the administration of 3.3 MBq/D-glucose-6(3)H to mice. The absorbed dose in germ cells amounted to 0.95 +/- 0.06 Gy with 17% of the dose being attributed to radiation from bound tritium. The levels of the genetic effects of DLM and RT and the dependence of the DLM frequency upon the stage of the irradiated cell were nearly the same as those observed in the experiment with tritium oxide. The loss of testis mass to 54% of the control, 30 days after exposure, resembled that produced by THO. The value of the reaction determined by all three tests was in accordance with the value of the absorbed dose with regard to the known doubled effectiveness of low-energy beta-radiation and did not need the hypothesis of the heterogeneity of the dose distribution and the influence of tritium transmutation.