Cytogenetic signature for ionizing radiation

A stable, easily measurable biological 'signature' for past exposure to densely ionizing radiation would be of significant value to estimate environmental radiation risk. Defined here, the S-ratio is the ratio of complete to incomplete chromosome translocations. It constitutes a clastogenic signature that appears to be stable over time, independent of dose, and varies inversely with the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of the radiation. In vitro measurements resulted in a ratio of approximately 2 for densely ionizing radiation (56Fe and 12C ions) in contrast to a value of approximately 10 for sparsely ionizing radiation (X- and gamma-rays). The measured ratio was approximately 2 for bleomycin and benzene. Such a distinctive clastogenic signature should facilitate better estimates of neutron dose for A-bomb survivors, as well as a causal connection between early exposure to densely ionizing radiation and late development of cancer.