Allium cepa used as a dosimetry system in nuclear and radiological emergencies

Effective provisions of preparedness and response are necessary to protect human life, health, property, and the environment in any nuclear and radiological emergency. Recently, the International Commission on Radiological Protection recognized the need to provide more quantitative guidance on environmental radiation protection to integrate these analyses. A required assessment is a correlation between dose and its effects in non-human biota. Plants are highly sensitive environmental monitors for the assessment of potentially genotoxic agents and avoid the controversial use of animal models. The Allium test is commonly used to assess genotoxicity for a wide variety of chemical and physical factors, as it allows for estimates of possible DNA damage in eukaryotes in general, including humans. In this work, onion (Allium cepa) seedlings were exposed to 20–200 mGy of $$\alpha$$ -radiation. We studied the possibility of using cytogenetic analyses of irradiated onion cells to determine the biological dose. It was observed that the increase in the frequencies of chromosomal aberrations, mitotic abnormalities, and micronuclei occurred proportional to the radiation dose, but a reduction in cytological damage was observed from 100 mGy, suggesting the onset of cytotoxic activity. Our research shows the potential of Allium cepa as a sensitive support system for dosimetry, detection, and screening of cellular effects produced by low doses of environmental radiation.