ArticleFrontiers in public health2025
Micronucleus abnormalities and sex differences in medical staff exposed to occupational ionizing radiation: a retrospective cohort study.
Article in Frontiers in public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
Background: Long-term occupational exposure to low-dose ionizing radiation increases the risk of genetic damage among medical staff. Micronucleus (MN) frequency is a sensitive biomarker of chromosomal damage and genomic instability, but the influence of sex on MN responses to chronic radiation exposure remains insufficiently understood. Objective: This study aimed to assess sex - related differences between male and female healthcare workers in MN frequency abnormalities among those chronically exposed to ionizing radiation and to explore potential biological and occupational determinants underlying these differences. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 102 medical staff (65 males, 37 females) from Shanxi Bethune Hospital, who had documented occupational radiation exposure for at least 10 years (2012-2024). According to the Chinese national standard GBZ/T 328-2023, a micronucleus frequency of ≥6‰, that is, ≥6 micronuclei per 1,000 binucleated lymphocytes, was classified as abnormal, indicating elevated chromosomal damage. Poisson regression analysis was performed to examine predictors of MN abnormalities, adjusting for age, cumulative radiation dose, and occupational category. Results: Females had a significantly higher rate of MN frequency abnormalities than males (11.0 vs. 5.6 per 100 person-years, Conclusion: After adjustment for measurable confounders, female healthcare workers exhibited significantly higher levels of cytogenetic damage. This association may reflect a combination of biological susceptibility, unmeasured occupational exposures, and behavioral factors-rather than cumulative physical radiation dose alone. These findings support including sex as a biological variable in occupational radiation safety protocols to improve risk stratification. They also highlight the need for future research to disentangle biological sex effects from correlated occupational and lifestyle determinants.
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