Title: Special effects of low doses and lifespan of irradiated daphnids

Authors: Irena B. Bychkovskaya, Elena I. Sarapultseva

Addresses: Nikiforov Russian Center of Emergency and Radiation Medicine EMERCOM of Russia, World Health Organization Collaborating Center, 4/2 Lebedev Str., St. Petersburg, 194044 Russia. ' Department of Biology, Institute of Nuclear Power Engineering, National Research Nuclear University 'MEPhI', Studgorodok-1, Obninsk, Kaluga Region, 249040 Russia

Abstract: Specific species-unspecific effects of low-radiation doses were studied. These effects are fundamentally different from stochastic effects. They have a mass character and full appearance at low doses for the species. The characteristic manifestation of the studied type of effect is a steady increase in the probability of cell death. Earlier in the model experiments on the crustacean Daphnia magna it was shown that the studied type of damage at low doses (0.1, 1 and 20 Gy, LD50/30 = 100 Gy) can develop a dose-independent increased mortality of irradiated daphnids. The present study shows that the studied type of effect can lead to reduced life expectancy of daphnids at a lowest dose of 0.1 Gy. Owing to the fact that the studied effect is observed at organism level, it is assumed that it could affect the life expectancy in mammals (including humans) even at relatively low doses of radiation.

Keywords: ionising radiation; low doses; non-targeted effect; life span; Daphnia magna; low radiation; irradiated daphnids; life expectancy.

DOI: 10.1504/IJLR.2011.040647

International Journal of Low Radiation, 2011 Vol.8 No.1, pp.35 - 41

Published online: 07 Feb 2015 *

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