Biological dosimetry – modern opportunities and prospects for diagnosis of acute radiation damage

Abstract

In case of large-scale radiation incidents, timely detection of overexposed persons and determination of the severity of radiation injuries will be of great importance. The main methods of diagnosing acute radiation injuries are the methods of physical and biological dosimetry. In practice, in case of radiation accidents, physical dosimetry may be unavailable due to the lack of individual dosimeters, lack of information about the duration of exposure, dose rate, distance to the source of ionizing radiation, etc. Under such conditions, biological dosimetry becomes a reliable source of data on people’s radiation. Currently, the clinical manifestations of radiation-induced syndromes available for detection are used for the initial diagnosis of acute radiation injury at the advanced stages of medical evacuation in the early period after radiation exposure. However, in the early periods after radiation exposure, the results of an objective study do not always allow us to establish the fact of overexposure. The most informative laboratory and instrumental methods for diagnosing radiation injury. With large radiation, most biological dosimetry methods will not be available for the initial sorting of those affected at the initial stages of medical evacuation. The use of methods of biological dosimetry is to a greater extent justified in the conditions of the hospital stage of providing medical care to those affected during the elimination of the medical and sanitary consequences of radiation accidents and disasters.