The ICRP, MELODI, and ALLIANCE workshop on effects of ionizing radiation exposure in offspring and next generations: a summary of discussions

Abstract

Purpose

Task Group 121 – Effects of ionizing radiation exposure in offspring and next generations – is a task group under the Committee 1 of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP), approved by the Main Commission on 18th November 2021. The main goals of Task Group 121 are to (1) review and update the scientific literature of relevance to radiation-related effects in the offspring of parent(s) exposed to ionizing radiation in both human and non-human biota; (2) to assess preconceptional and intrauterine effects of radiation exposure and related morbidity and mortality; and, (3) to provide advice about the level of evidence and how to consider these preconceptional and postconceptional effects in the system of radiological protection for humans and non-human biota.

Methods

The Task Group is reviewing relevant literature since Publication 90 ‘Biological effects after prenatal irradiation (embryo and fetus)’ (2003) and will include radiation-related effects on future generations in humans, animals, and plants. This review will be conducted to account for the health effects on offspring and subsequent generations in the current system of radiological protection. Radiation detriment calculation will also be reviewed. Finally, preliminary recommendations will be made to update the integration of health effects in offspring and next generations in the system of radiological protection.

Results

A Workshop, jointly organized by ICRP Task Group 121 and European Radiation Protection Research Platforms MELODI and ALLIANCE was held in Budapest, Hungary, from 31st May to 2nd June 2022. Participants discussed four important topics: (1) hereditary and epigenetic effects due to exposure of the germ cell line (preconceptional exposure), (2) effects arising from exposure of the embryo and fetus (intrauterine exposure), (3) transgenerational effects on biota, and (4) its potential impact on the system of radiological protection.

Conclusions

Based on the discussions and presentations during the breakout sessions, newer publications, and gaps on the current scientific literature were identified. For instance, there are some ongoing systematic reviews and radiation epidemiology reviews of intrauterine effects. There are newer methods of Monte Carlo simulation for fetal dosimetry, and advances in radiation genetics, epigenetics, and radiobiology studies. While the current impact of hereditary effects on the global detriment was reported as small, the questions surrounding the effects of radiation exposure on offspring and the next generation are crucial, recurring, and with a major focus on exposed populations. This article summarizes the workshop discussions, presentations, and conclusions of each topic and introduces the special issue of the International Journal of Radiation Biology resulting from the discussions of the meeting.

Keywords:

• Preconceptional exposure
• epigenetics
• radiation exposure
• non-human species
• offspring
• prenatal exposure

Acknowledgements

Funding and Acknowledgements: We appreciate the generous support from the IRPA 2022 Congress leadership and organizers, the funding and support from ALLIANCE and ICRP, and especially from MELODI. We are grateful for all the participants who provided excellent comments, suggestions, and references.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.

Notes on contributors

Ämilie Degenhardt

Ämilie Degenhardt, Ph.D., is a postdoctoral fellow of the Unit ‘External and internal dosimetry, biokinetics’ at the Department of Medical and Occupational Radiation Protection of the German Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS), Oberschleißheim, Germany. In the RadoNorm project she is the Chairperson of the Early Career Researchers Council. She is also a member-mentee of the ICRP Task Group 121.

Shayenthiran Sreetharan

Shayenthiran Sreetharan, Ph.D., is the Radiation Safety Specialist for London Health Sciences Center (LHSC) and St. Joseph’s Healthcare London (SJHC), responsible for maintaining an effective radiation safety program for regulated x-ray and nuclear workers at three hospital sites in London, Ontario, Canada. He teaches medical radiation sciences topics. He is also a member-mentee of the ICRP Task Group 121.

Aidana Amrenova

Aidana Amrenova, Ph.D., is a postdoctoral fellow at the Health and Environment Division of the Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN) in France. She is also a member-mentee of the ICRP Task Group 121.

Christelle Adam-Guillermin

Christelle Adam-Guillermin, Ph.D., is a senior scientist and project leader at the French Institute of Radioprotection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN). She is working on (i) the effects of ionizing radiation on non-human biota and (ii) on the side effects of hadron therapy on DNA and mitochondria damages, in contexts of reproductive toxicity and neurotoxicity. She is a member of the High-Level Group on Low-Dose Research (HLG-LDR) Joint Topical Group Rad-Chem and of the ICRP Task Groups 99 (Reference Animal and Plants), 118 (RBE) and 121 (Offspring and next generations).

Fieke Dekkers

Fieke Dekkers, Ph.D., is a senior scientist at the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment in the Netherlands. Her research interests include long term health effects of exposure to low doses of ionizing radiation. She is a member of the Belgian delegation to UNSCEAR.

Sara Dumit

Sara Dumit, Ph.D., is a Scientist at the Internal Dosimetry Group of the Radiation Protection Division at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, United States of America. She is also a member-mentee of the ICRP Task Group 121.

Sandrine Frelon

Sandrine Frelon, Ph.D., is a researcher at the French Institute of Radioprotection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN), in a laboratory dealing with radioecology and ecotoxicology of radionuclides (LECO). She has expertise in multi-elemental analysis and biochemistry of adverse effects from chronic and acute exposure of organisms.

Nele Horemans

Nele Horemans, Ph.D., is a plant physiologist and radioecologist studying effects of environmentally relevant radiations exposures on plants with an emphasis on (epi)genetic regulation of long-term effects. She obtained her PhD in 1997 and is since 2008 affiliated with the Belgian Nuclear Research Center (SCK CEN) where she leads the research group Biosphere Impact studies. She teaches radio- and ecotoxicity at Hasselt University Belgium.

Dominique Laurier

Dominique Laurier, Ph.D., is the Deputy Head of the Health Division at the French Institute of Radioprotection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN). He is the Chair of ICRP Committee 1. He‘s also a member of the French delegation to the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR), and the Chair of the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) High-Level Group on Low Dose Research (HLG-LDR).

Liudmila Liutsko

Liudmila Liutsko, Ph.D., MSc. Currently work at the Catalonian Institute of Health (ICS in Spanish) and IDIAP Jordi Gol (affiliated to ICS). Previously 6 years of work as a post-docs and co-PI at ISGlobal (Radiation Programme), Spain. She is also a member-mentee of the ICRP Task Group 121.

Sisko Salomaa

Sisko Salomaa, Ph.D., has the title of docent in genetics by Helsinki University. She worked for STUK (Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority in Finland) for 35 years. She worked most recently as research director and coordinator of national radiation safety research programs, until her retirement in 2022. During 2016–22, she held the position of professor of radiobiology in University of Eastern Finland. She was representative of Finland to UNSCEAR and member of ICRP Committee 1, chairing TG121 during 2021–22.

Thierry Schneider

Thierry Schneider, Ph.D., is the director of the Nuclear Protection Evaluation Center (CEPN) in France. He is the Chair of ICRP Committee 4. He is also the Chair of the OECD-NEA Committee on Radiological Protection and Public Health.

Manoor P. Hande

M. Prakash Hande, Ph.D., MPH, Associate Professor at the Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS). His research interests are biomarkers of radiation exposure, DNA-repair-telomeres-telomerase in aging and cancer, and experimental cancer therapeutics. Dr Hande teaches cancer biology and aging and conducted integrated study modules on Biomedicine and Society and Radiation and Society.He was a consultant at the Division of Human Health, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria in 2015–2016 while on sabbatical from NUS. Dr Hande was an expert member of the workgroup on ‘Biological mechanisms influencing health effects from low-dose radiation exposure’ with United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) (2017 – 2021). He is a member of ICRP Committee 1(Radiation Effects), Task Group 118 (RBE) and co-chair of the task group 121 (Offspring and next generations).

Richard Wakeford

Richard Wakeford, Ph.D., is an Honorary Professor in Epidemiology in the Center for Occupational and Environmental Health at The University of Manchester, United Kingdom. Prof. Wakeford is specialized in radiation epidemiology and has served on UNSCEAR, ICRP, NCRP, UK and EU committees throughout his career.

Kimberly E. Applegate

Kimberly E Applegate, MD, MS, is a pediatric radiologist and retired professor from the University of Kentucky College of Medicine who is chair of the ICRP committee on medicine.