LONG TERM

RADIATION
EFFECTS

SOMATIC EFFECTS

An individual suffers somatic radiation damage when

significant amounts of tissue are effected.

Estimated that a short term dose of 200 to 300 rads can

result in sun burn like injuries to the skin with accompanying
hair loss.

At doses over 1000 rads the GI system suffers upset including

nausea, electrolyte imbalance etc

At around 5000 rads, nervous system undergoes shock,

leading to confusion, or coma due to internal bleeding and
pressure in thebrain.

Delayed long term somatic effects include the possible

development of tumours, cancer and cataracts.

 The

body responds to somatic effects resulting

from radiation by attempts at repair.

If

the dose is not so large as to overwhelm the

defence and repair mechanisms, it has been
estimated that approximately 90% of the
damage is recoverable, there is 10% residuum
which can be described as permanent
damage.

Induction of cancer
SKIN

Cancer

of skin was the first form of malignant

disease to bedescribedin man, following
exposure to ionizing radiation.

Leisions

arefound in association with chronic

radiation dermatitis.

chronic ulcer and a squamous cell carcinoma

may accompany.

Skin cancer

Thyroid:
The

most frequent occurrence of carcinoma of the

thyroid as a postradiation manifestation has occurred
in children whose thymus was irradiated.

The

average latent period between the time of

radiation and the appearance of thyroid tumour was
seven years.

During

the past 20 years, there has been increasing

use of radioactive iodine in the treatment of diseases
of the thyroid.

This

use has, as much as possible, been confined to

adults, and there is no evidence of increased incidence

Bone:
It

is apparent that in humans, the latent period

between the deposition of radioactive material in
bone and the appearance ogf the bone tumours may
be 15 or more years.

During

this period the dose delivered to the bone

would be several thousand rads if exposure is
continued.

It

is estimated that the content of radium in bone

necessary to produce tumours is approximately 3.6
micro curies.

Whereas

cystic and necrotic changes may occur with

a content of 0.4 micro curies.

Lung
After

average periods of exposure of 17

years,the workers in the mines have had a
high incidence of bronchogenic carcinoma.

Depending

on the assumptions made

concerning the uniformity of the dose received
by the epithelium of the bronchus, this dose
has been estimated to be between 1000 to
10,000 rads.

Cataracts
The

lens of the eye isconsidered to be vulnerable

because it is avascular and because it has no cooling
effect.

Cogan

has suggested that the damage is inflicted on

theepithelium of the lens and that a cataract may
appear after around 5 years.

Threshold

for this effect is approximately 600 rads.

Dermatitis
One

of the common after-effects of radiation is the

chronic radiation change seen in the skin.

In

addition to the malignant change, which has

already been described, one finds fibriosis,
telangiectasis and destructin of hair follicles, sweat
glands, and sebaceous glands.

For

example a chronic radition ulcer on the anterior

surface of the chest can be repaired by a skin graft.

Neumonitis
Doses

around 2000 rads delivered to the chest

may produce acute radiation effects leading to
chronic radiation changes in the lungs

If

sections of such a lung are examined, it will

be found that the alveoli are filled with
fibrinous exudate, that there is thickening and
fibrosis of alveolar wall.

Nephritis
When

radiation is delivered to the upper abdomen,

one or both kidneys may receive a large dose.

If

it is in excess of 2000 rads, it may cause severe

renal damage.

It

may cause a syndrome suggestive of acute

nephritis or chronic nephritis.

The

latent period is from six months to two years.

Sterility
Sterility

resulting from radiation is one of the effects

most feared by the public.

Although

small doses of radiation may cause

damage which is reflected in mutations.

Permanent

sterility in males results from

dosesaround 500 or more rads, whereas in femlaes,
it is an approx. of 800 or more rads.

Temporary

sterility in males is for approx of 30 rads

and in females for approx. of 300 rads.

Life span
There

is sufficient evidence from the results of

work on animals to justify the suspicion that
large doses of radiation may shorten the
lifespan on a long term effect.

GENETIC EFFECTS
Although

ionizing radiation can damage DNA,

genetic abnormalities are not passed on to the
next generation for human beings at
significant rate.

But

only a few radiation caused genetic

disorders are believed to occur per million live
births.

Genetic risk
Epidemiologic

studies did not find an increase in

genetic effects following radiation of parental germ
cells.

The clinical risk of radiation induced mutations in

parental germ cells is largely theoretical, since
many induced mutations are likely lost before they
appear in the offspring.

It

has become apparent that humans are less

sensitive to genetic effects of radiation than
previously thought

SPINA BIFIDA: It is a birth defect where there is a incomplete

closing of the back bone and membrane around the spinal cord

ENCEPHALOCELE: Sometimes known as cranial bifida. This is a

neual tube defect characterized by sac like protusion of brain.

ANENCEPHALY: is the absence of major portion of the brain, skull,

and scalp that occurs during embryonic development.

IN-UTERO EFFECTS

Effects on the fetus due to the exposure of mother to

harmful radiations.

CNS defects and growth radiation:

Manifestations of in utero irradiation in humans are

microcephaly, mental retardation and other CNS defects, and
growth retardation.

Microcephaly is the most common malformation reported after

exposure to a high dose of radiation during pregnancy.

In one study, 25% of children exposed to more than 100 rads

of radiation during gestation were microcephalic or
hydrocephalic.

Almost all microcephalic children irradiated in utero were

mentally retarded and had short stature as well.

The incidence of microcephaly rose with increasing exposure

Mental retardation (MR) and

seizures:

A recent study of Japanese atomic bomb survivors exposed

during gestation re-analyzed the absorbed dose to the
mothers uterus.

As a consequence, four time periods were defined during

gestation for which the developing brain has differing
sensitivity to seizures and mental retardation following
radiation.

These periods, based on the number of weeks after

conception, are: 0 to 7 weeks, 8 to 15 weeks, 16 to 25
weeks, and 26 or more weeks.

There is no apparent increased risk of severe mental

retardation associated with radiation exposure prior to the
8th week or after the 25th week of gestation.

Congenital malformations

Studies

have found no association of visceral,

limb, or other malformations with in utero
irradiation, unless the child exhibited growth
retardation, microcephaly, or malformations of
the eye

Cancer

The association between in utero exposure to

radiation and development of leukemia and other
childhood cancers has been recognized for over 30
years.

Whether or not the association is in fact causal

remains unsolved. There is evidence for a causal
relationship (twin studies) and against a causal
relationship (no excess cancer mortality in Japanese
children irradiated in utero)

GROUP3

Akhila Reddy

Vineetha Arasakumaran

Sincy Anna Sunny

Shilpa Kiruban

Arjun AR

Sai Ram Kollipara

Lokesh Chakravarthy

Supraja Chinthoju

Nandini Jagili

Sindhu Madasani

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