Cytogenetic study of skin fibroblasts in a case of accidental acute irradiation.

The cytogenetic study of skin fibroblasts from a young boy, heavily irradiated by handling of an iridium-192 source of 25 curies is reported. About half of the cells examined had chromosomal abnormalities. The same clone, with multiple chromosome rearrangement, was observed in cultures from biopsies obtained 25 and 35 months after the accident. Several other clones were detected in vitro. The results obtained from cultures of biopsies from different locations show that no direct relationships were found between the absorbed dose and the frequency of stable chromosomal rearrangements. The comparison of the intrachromosomal rearrangements, mostly inversions, observed in this study with those detected in human pathology, in irradiation experiments in vitro, and in various species of primates indicates that these rearrangements do not occur at random.