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  • Title: Induction of sister chromatid exchanges by extremely low doses of alpha-particles.
    Author: Nagasawa H, Little JB.
    Journal: Cancer Res; 1992 Nov 15; 52(22):6394-6. PubMed ID: 1423287.
    Abstract:
    The induction of sister chromatid exchanges (SCE) was examined in Chinese hamster ovary cells irradiated in the G1 phase of the cell cycle with alpha-particles from a plutonium-238 source. A significant increase in the frequency of SCE occurred with doses as low as 0.31 mGy (31 millirads). Although 30% of the cells showed an increased frequency of SCE at this dose, less than 1% of cell nuclei were actually traversed by an alpha-particle. A dose of approximately 2.0 Gy was necessary to produce a similar increase in SCE by X-rays. These results indicate that genetic damage may be induced by low doses of alpha-radiation in cell nuclei not actually traversed by an alpha-particle. This phenomenon may have important implications in the estimation of risks of such exposures.
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