A Repository of Bio-Specimens From Mayak Workers Exposed to Protracted Radiation

Abstract

A repository of bio-specimens that includes organs from 700 deceased workers employed at the first nuclear weapons facility "Mayak" and donations of blood, buccal cells, and tissues removed at the time of surgery and/or biopsy from the members of the Mayak cohort undergoing medical treatment or diagnostic procedures has been established at the Southern Ural Biophysics Institute, in Ozyorsk, Russian Federation. The autopsied tissues include formaline-preserved organs, paraffin blocks, and histology slides. For all, occupational, dosimetry, and detailed medical information is available. For 359 individuals, information on malignant tumors, i.e., lung (171), stomach (51), liver (28), and intestine (19), as well as 32 cases of leukemia, are available. External gamma exposures are known for 95% of the 700 autopsies, of whom 560 were exposed to protracted doses exceeding 0.5 Gy, with known maximum annual doses ranging from 0.01-0.5 Gy for about 46%, and annual doses exceeding 0.5 Gy for 48%. Plutonium body burden is known for 73%, of which 40% had body burden greater than 1.5 kBq, and 15% of individuals had body burdens greater than 11.85 kBq. Newly collected specimens include frozen lymphocytes, EBV-immortalized B-cells, frozen erythrocytes, and DNA as well as frozen tumors. Donations were obtained to date from more than 1,600 individuals. For these donors external doses of exposure exceeded 0.5 Gy for 83%, and plutonium body burden exceeded 1.48 kBq for 30%. A Web site describing the Repository that also includes forms for tissue requests can be accessed at http://www.subi.ru/RHTR.

ICRP PUBLICATION 118: ICRP Statement on Tissue Reactions and Early and Late Effects of Radiation in Normal Tissues and Organs — Threshold Doses for Tissue Reactions in a Radiation Protection Context

“…An additional bilateral case of blinding cataract was reported in a woman acutely exposed to 7-12 Gy neutrons and who developed visual symptoms years later (McLaughlin et al, 2000;Azizova et al, 2005). Curiously, a later report concerning the availability of tissue specimens from 700 deceased Mayak workers noted that occupational cataracts were seen in six cases, three of which included individuals with ChRS and one which included a patient with occupational lung fibrosis (Muksinova et al, 2006). No further details concerning cataract type, latency, visual disability, range of exposures, or other details were provided.…”

X-Ray Fluorescence Microscopy for Investigation of Archival Tissues

“…Experiments included rodents (mice, rats and rabbit) and other mammals (dog, pig, monkey) (Buldakov et al, 1968, 1969; Moskalyov et al, 1977, 1979; Muksinova et al, 1990; Mushkachyova et al 1994). Biological material was obtained from more than 23 thousand animals; much of it preserved in the SUBI Radiobiological Archive.…”

Quantitative Plutonium Microdistribution in Bone Tissue of Vertebra From a Mayak Worker

“…The Southern Ural Biophysics Institute (SUBI) Russian Human Radiobiological Tissue Repository (RHRTR) (Muksinova et al 2006) was the source of biological material for studying plutonium microdistribution in bone tissue. Bone tissue samples were obtained during the autopsy of former workers from the nuclear fuel cycle plant (Mayak) and are stored in separate storage containers in neutral formalin.…”