Delayed Effects of Low Level Acute Irradiation and Chronic Environmental Radioactive Contamination on DNA Lymphocytes of People in Dolon, a Settlement Located in the Vicinity of the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site (Kazakhstan)

Delayed effects of low level acute irradiation and chronic environmental radioactive contamination on DNA lymphocytes of people living in Dolon, a settlement located in the vicinity of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site were investigated. The comet assay was applied on DNA lymphocytes of 20 women and 32 non-exposed women living at 500 km from the (STS). A statistically significant difference was observed between the exposed and control groups for mean tail moment (MTM) and DNA% in the tail. The result suggested that people exposed 50 years ago to relatively small doses of external irradiation and/or still living in an environment contaminated by small amounts of long life radionuclides, still present DNA damage which is in agreement with other cytogenetical studies performed at the same site, on the same population.