DNA damage following localized exposure to a Cs-bearing microparticle

Matsuya, Yusuke  ; Satou, Yukihiko   ; Hamada, Nobuyuki*; Date, Hiroyuki*; Ishikawa, Masayori*; Sato, Tatsuhiko   

Following the incident at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station (F1NPS) in 2011, insoluble radioactive microparticles (so called Cs-bearing particle) have been found in the land area around F1NPS. The energy deposition by such a particle is localized mainly by -rays in cells close to a Cs-bearing particle. There is no literature on the biological effects after such particle exposures. Here, we investigated DNA lesions after long-term exposure to a Cs-bearing particle in comparison with a uniform exposure to Cs-137 -rays. From dose calculation by a Monte Carlo simulation and the experiments in vitro, the several DNA lesions in the cells distal to the particle and the less lesions induction in the cells close to the particle were observed in the comparison with the uniform exposure. The increase of lesions in number was suppressed by 1% DMSO, suggesting the involvement of reactive oxygen species. Considering the small organ dose, the conventional radiation risk assessment is adequate. This study is the first to quantify the relationship between absorbed dose-rate and nuclear DNA damage under long-term heterogeneous exposure to a Cs-bearing particle.