Previously we reported haematopoietic death as an effect of tritiated water (HTO) in drinking water in the concentration range from 5.92 x 10(11) to 1.85 x 10(10) Bq/dm3. In the present study the effects of HTO in a lower concentration range from 9.25 x 10(9) Bq/dm3 (0.240 Gy/day) to 3.70 x 10(8) Bq/dm3 (0.096 Gy/day) are reported. Female (C57BL/6N and C3H/He)F1 mice were maintained on drinking water containing various levels of HTO. Mice survived for > 150 days with a high incidence of tumour development (70 to 80%). In the dose-rate range from 9.25 x 10(9) Bq/dm3 (0.240 Gy/day) to 1.85 x 10(9) Bq/dm3 (0.048 Gy/day) the main cause of death was thymic lymphoma. However, at a dose-rate of 9.25 x 10(8) Bq/dm3 (0.024 Gy/day) the incidence of thymic lymphoma sharply decreased, while the incidence of other tumours increased. The tumour type became more diverse at lower concentrations of HTO. The latent period of tumour development was shorter and the life-shortening effect was more marked by 3H beta-irradiation in this study than b X- or gamma-irradiation reported in other investigations.

Radioresistant E. coli TGl harboring pUC 18 plasmid which was Ampicillin-resistant was exposed to 60Co gamma-rays or 3H beta-rays in saline to determine whether the relative biological effectiveness of 3H beta-rays is higher than one. After exposure to 60Co gamma-rays at a dose rate of 0.465 Gy/min, the D0 by colony formation was 145 Gy in the presence of Ampicillin in or absence from the agar medium; whereas, the D0 was calculated as 118 Gy with and without Ampicillin after exposure to 3H beta-rays at a dose rate of 0.431 Gy/min. The relative biological effectiveness established for 3H beta-rays to 60Co gamma-rays was 1.23. The reason for the higher effectiveness of 3H beta-rays as compared to the reference 60Co gamma-rays is discussed in terms of nascent 0 production.