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Radon decay in bone marrow fat cells and the possible induction of leukaemia
Author(s) -
Utteridge Tammy D.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
medical physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.473
H-Index - 180
eISSN - 2473-4209
pISSN - 0094-2405
DOI - 10.1118/1.598059
Subject(s) - stem cell , bone marrow , haematopoiesis , nuclear medicine , pathology , immunology , andrology , biology , medicine , microbiology and biotechnology
The alpha particle radiation dose to haemopoietic stem cells and marrow was determined with Monte Carlo modeling using input data generated from autopsy specimens of normal marrow and compared with the dose estimates obtained using the Bristol image analysis and dose calculation system on those same marrow specimens. There was very good agreement between the two dose calculation methods. The project confirmed that the spatial distribution of haemopoietic stem cells in normal human marrow was random, and a trimodal distribution of haemopoietic stem cell diameters was described (possibly due to different stages of the cell cycle, as previously described in the mouse). Modeling of the dose to marrow with different fat fractions showed a positive linear relationship between the fat fraction and both the proportion of haemopoietic stem cells “hit” and the proportion of “hit” survivors. Modeling of the dose to haemopoietic stem cells in the marrow of the underground miners showed a positive linear relationship between the radon concentration in external air and both the proportion of haemopoietic stem cells “hit” and the proportion of “hit” survivors. In all the modeling the mean number of alpha particle passages per haemopoietic stem cell was approximately 1.02, with doses of 0.86, 0.20, and 0.12 Gy for haemopoietic stem cells of diameter 5.71, 11.63, and 14.79 μm, respectively.