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To understand the relationships between exposure and damage to different cell populations in the respiratory tract, methods were developed to culture deep-lung fibroblasts and epithelial cells from the nose, trachea and deep lungs. Female F-344 Fischer and male Wistar rats were exposed to 1-5 Gy of 60Co gamma rays at a dose rate of 0.4 Gy/min. Cells were isolated for short-term culture, and the incidences of binucleated cells and micronuclei were determined. The incidences of micronuclei were determined in cytochalasin-B-induced binucleated cells at 72 h for nasal and tracheal tissue and 96 h for deep-lung fibroblasts and epithelial cells. Maximum frequencies of binucleated cells were found in the control nonirradiated cells at these harvest times, and the frequencies were not significantly affected at these harvest times by radiation exposure. No significant differences were found in the frequencies of micronuclei induced in the nasal epithelial cells isolated from female F-344 Fischer or male Wistar rats. Fibroblasts cultured in different media and isolated from either female F-344 Fischer or male Wistar rats also showed a similar frequency of micronuclei. Over the doses tested, the frequency of micronuclei in the respiratory tract cells increased linearly with the dose. The slopes were 92.2 +/- 9.2, 76.2 +/- 7.9, 32.8 +/- 2.4 and 28.7 +/- 3.4 micronuclei/1000 binucleated cells/Gy for deep-lung epithelial cells, deep-lung fibroblasts, tracheal epithelial cells and nasal epithelial cells, respectively. Deep-lung epithelial or fibroblast cells were about two to three times as sensitive for elastogenic damage as nasal and tracheal epithelial cells. The measurement of micronuclei in isolated respiratory tract cells is very useful in assessing cytogenetic damage induced in different cell types by radiation.

Few data are available regarding radiation exposure to children during cardiac catheterization. Using lithium fluoride thermoluminescent dosimeters, radiation exposure was measured during precatheterization chest roentgenography, fluoroscopy (hemodynamic assessment phase of catheterization) and cineangiography in 30 infants and children, ages 3 days to 21 years. Dosimeters were placed over the eyes, thyroid, anterior chest, posterior chest, anterior abdomen, posterior abdomen and gonads. Average absorbed chest doses were 24.5 mR during chest roentgenography, 5810 mR during catheterization fluoroscopy and 1592 mR during cineangiography. During the complete catheterization, average doses were 26 mR to the eyes, 431 mR to the thyroid area, 150 mR to the abdomen and 11 mR to the gonads. Radiation exposure during pediatric cardiac catheterization is low to the eyes and gonads but high to the chest and thyroid area. To decrease radiation dosage we suggest (1) low pulse-rate fluoroscopy; (2) substitution of contrast echocardiography for cineangiography; (3) large-plate abdominal/gonadal shielding; (4) a selective shield for thyroid area; (5) a very small field during catheter manipulation. Minimum radiation consistent with accurate diagnosis is optimal; however, erroneous or incomplete diagnosis is more dangerous than radiation-related hazards.