Problems of Radiation Medicine and Radiobiology

¹State Institution «National Research Center for Radiation Medicine of the National Academy of Medical
  Sciences of Ukraine», Melnykov str., 53, Kyiv, 04050, Ukraine
²State Institution «O. M. Marzeiev Institute of Public Health National Academy of Medical Sciences
  of Ukraine» 02000, Kyiv, str. Popudrenko 50

Effect of radiation and non-radiation environmental factors on children hematopoietic system

Objective. Identification of impact of radiation and non-radiation environmental factors on development of hematopoi- etic abnormalities in children and justification of criteria for the increased risk groups of hematologic diseases.
Materials and methods. The results of clinical and hematological survey of 1465 children living in Kyiv, Zhytomyr and Chernihiv regions for the period from 2008 to 2014 were presented. There were 777 children with anemia, 466 with changes in hemogram, 191 with acute leukemia. The irradiation doses, correlation of integrated pollution degree of territories with hematopoietic parameters and course hematologic diseases were estimated. Metal con- tent in hair, nails, and blood was determined in 121 children.
Results. We have found the most common cause of anemia in children and peculiarities of acute leukemia depend- ing on the area integrated contamination. Number of children living in contaminated areas with pro-B-ALL and T-ALL having an initial leukocytosis and unfavorable course of the disease was higher compared to the number of patients from moderately polluted regions (r = -0.47). There is a direct correlation between percentage of children with monocytosis and degree of territory contamination: the 20.2 % of such children lived in the intensively polluted areas and 10,3 % in moderately contaminated ones (p < 0.05). Content of Pb, Cu, Cr, Mn, Zn in biological tissues did not exceed the permissible MAC. Level of Zn in all children was at the lower normal threshold. Individual levels of metals in hair, nails and blood did not depend on gender of patients and their radiation doses. Criteria of increased risk of hematologic diseases in children living in ecologically unfavorable regions were grounded.
Conclusions. Radiation and non-radiation environmental factors influencing the development of changes in hematopoiesis and characteristics of the blood system diseases in children play a role in leukeima development processes. These findings are the basis for a further research in the field of radiobiology and ecology.
Key words: children, hematopoiesis, anemia, leukemia, monocytosis, radiation dose, integral degree of territory con- tamination, heavy metals.

Problems of radiation medicine and radiobiology. 2016;21:191–203.