Prevalence of physical health issues, blood plasma antioxidant and pro-oxidant capacity in radiological units employees

This article presents results of the study aimed to research effects of low dose radiation on physical health issues prevalence, and the blood plasma antioxidant and pro-oxidant activity in radiological units employees. Almost healthy volunteers (54 persons), were involved in the study, 26 of them were radiological units employees, worked with sources of ionizing radiation, and 28 persons were workers of therapeutic units, they were not occupationally exposed to radiation (the control group). The study and control groups were subdivided on the basis of professional practice years: >15 and 16+ years. Individual cumulative doses of external gamma-radiation and x-rays to the study sub-group members exposed to radiation for a shorter and a longer periods of time were 3.19±0.56 mSv and 19.30±1.86 mSv respectively, it means that the members of the both sub-groups were exposed to low radiation doses. Both exposed and unexposed employees underwent regular physical examination. The total blood plasma antioxidant and pro-oxidant activity were measured by chemiluminescent assay. Physical examination findings were as follows: the higher prevalence of physical health issues was in the exposed employees, especially in those, occupationally exposed to radiation for a longer time period: arterial hypertension occurred in 46.1% and 15.1% of cases in the exposed and in unexposed groups respectively; chronic cholecystitis - 61.5% and 53.8% of cases; vertebral osteochondrosis - 46.1% and 15.4% of cases respectively, vision impairment - 53.8% and 23.1% of cases. In the exposed persons with the professional practice period less than 15 years the blood plasma antioxidant activity was higher than in the unexposed people with the same period of professional practice. In the exposed employees with 16+ years professional practice pro-oxidant activity was higher and antioxidant activity was lower than in the corresponding sub-group of unexposed employees. In the sub-group of the longer exposure period average antioxidant activity was lower than in the unexposed employees of the same practice period. Lowering of the blood plasma antioxidant activity as a result of the long-term exposure to low-level radiation may cause physical health issues.