Micronucleus test of erythrocytes and lymphocytes in the blood of the Altai region residents living near the Semipalatinsk atomic proving ground

Abstract We analysed the erythrocytes and lymphocytes with micronuclei of 3902 individuals living in 16 settlements in the west of the Altai region. It was found that the majority of individuals with high frequencies of micronucleated cells were in the settlements located near to the Semipalatinsk atomic proving ground. In particular, considerable cytogenetic alterations were found in individuals born during the period of intensive testing on the Semipalatinsk proving ground (from 1949 to 1962). The data we have obtained allow us to conclude that radiation damage of cytogenetic structures in the prenatal (predelivery) and early postnatal periods leading to the formation of micronuclei can remain in the human organism for decades and, perhaps, throughout life.