Contents
ORNL conducted many studies using rodents, mainly mice and Guinea Pigs, that focused on the influence of gamma irradiation on the development of cancer and the susceptibility for radiogenic cancer related to natural incidence.
ORNL studies used rodents to study carcinogenesis and survival between strains exposed at different dose rates. There were some early studies conducted on Burros as a result of the Nevada test sites and the assumption that there was a high level of radiation resistance. No significant data has been released to our archive to indicate or substantiate this assumption.
Study Years: 1977 – 1987 , data was released to NRA in 1991
Isotope: 137 Cesium
Exposure: Gamma Ray external at 10 weeks
Species: Mus musculus, BALB/c Bd, Mus musculus, BFM, Mus musculus, C3Hf/Bd, Mus musculus, C57BL/6Bd, 19,200 Guinea Pigs, and 88 Burros.
Three Major Mouse Studies:
ORNL-1977-Gamma Ray, single dose exposure at 10 weeks, female only
| GROUP_ID | NRA_GROUP_NAME | N_ANIMALS | GROUP_INSULT_QTY | GROUP_INSULT_UNITS | CHEMICAL_FORM | STUDY_MODE | STUDY_AGE |
| 1 | BALB/cBd female mice control group | 833 | 0.0 | Gy | 2000 curie cesium-137 source | EXT | 10WK |
| 2 | BALB/cBd female mice 0.5 Gy exposure at 10 weeks | 834 | 0.5 | Gy | 2000 curie cesium-137 source | EXT | 10WK |
| 3 | BALB/cBd female mice 2.0 Gy exposure at 10 weeks | 809 | 2.0 | Gy | 2000 curie cesium-137 source | EXT | 10WK |
| 4 | RFM/Bd female mice control group | 745 | 0.0 | Gy | 2000 curie cesium-137 source | EXT | 10WK |
| 5 | RFM/Bd female mice 0.5 Gy exposure at 10 weeks | 748 | 0.5 | Gy | 2000 curie cesium-137 source | EXT | 10WK |
| 6 | RFM/Bd female mice 2.0 Gy exposure at 10 weeks | 759 | 2.0 | Gy | 2000 curie cesium-137 source | EXT | 10WK |
ORNL-1987-Gamma Ray, single dose exposure at 10 weeks, male and female
| GROUP_ID | NRA_GROUP_NAME | N_ANIMALS | GROUP_INSULT_QTY | GROUP_INSULT_UNITS | CHEMICAL_FORM | STUDY_MODE | STUDY_AGE |
| 1 | C57BL/6 female mice control group | 494 | 0.0 | Gy | 2000 curie cesium-137 source | EXT | 10WK |
| 2 | C57BL/6 male mice control group | 502 | 0.0 | Gy | 2000 curie cesium-137 source | EXT | 10WK |
| 3 | C57BL/6 female mice 0.5 Gy exposure at 10 weeks | 253 | 0.5 | Gy | 2000 curie cesium-137 source | EXT | 10WK |
| 4 | C57BL/6 male mice 0.5 Gy exposure at 10 weeks | 254 | 0.5 | Gy | 2000 curie cesium-137 source | EXT | 10WK |
| 5 | C57BL/6 female mice 1.0 Gy exposure at 10 weeks | 251 | 1.0 | Gy | 2000 curie cesium-137 source | EXT | 10WK |
| 6 | C57BL/6 male mice 1.0 Gy exposure at 10 weeks | 260 | 1.0 | Gy | 2000 curie cesium-137 source | EXT | 10WK |
| 7 | C57BL/6 female mice 2.0 Gy exposure at 10 weeks | 255 | 2.0 | Gy | 2000 curie cesium-137 source | EXT | 10WK |
| 8 | C57BL/6 male mice 2.0 Gy exposure at 10 weeks | 259 | 2.0 | Gy | 2000 curie cesium-137 source | EXT | 10WK |
| 9 | C3Hf/Bd female control mice | 503 | 0.0 | Gy | 2000 curie cesium-137 source | EXT | 10WK |
| 10 | C3Hf/Bd male control mice | 502 | 0.0 | Gy | 2000 curie cesium-137 source | EXT | 10WK |
| 11 | C3Hf/Bd female mice 0.5 Gy exposure at 10 weeks | 251 | 0.5 | Gy | 2000 curie cesium-137 source | EXT | 10WK |
| 12 | C3Hf/Bd male mice 0.5 Gy exposure at 10 weeks | 244 | 0.5 | Gy | 2000 curie cesium-137 source | EXT | 10WK |
| 13 | C3Hf/Bd female mice 1.0 Gy exposure at 10 weeks | 250 | 1.0 | Gy | 2000 curie cesium-137 source | EXT | 10WK |
| 14 | C3Hf/Bd male mice 1.0 Gy exposure at 10 weeks | 249 | 1.0 | Gy | 2000 curie cesium-137 source | EXT | 10WK |
| 15 | C3Hf/Bd female mice 2.0 Gy exposure at 10 weeks | 258 | 2.0 | Gy | 2000 curie cesium-137 source | EXT | 10WK |
| 16 | C3Hf/Bd male mice 2.0 Gy exposure at 10 weeks | 252 | 2.0 | Gy | 2000 curie cesium-137 source | EXT | 10WK |
ORNL-Male and female RFM mice exposed to cs-137 gamma rays prior to 1979
| GROUP_ID | NRA_GROUP_NAME | N_ANIMALS | GROUP_INSULT_QTY | GROUP_INSULT_UNITS | CHEMICAL_FORM | STUDY_MODE | STUDY_AGE |
| 1 | RFM male control mice | 430 | 0 | rad | 2000 curie cesium-137 source | EXT | 10WK |
| 2 | RFM male mice, 10 rads | 256 | 10 | rad | 2000 curie cesium-137 source | EXT | 10WK |
| 3 | RFM male mice, 25 rads | 94 | 25 | rad | 2000 curie cesium-137 source | EXT | 10WK |
| 4 | RFM male mice, 50 rads | 247 | 50 | rad | 2000 curie cesium-137 source | EXT | 10WK |
| 5 | RFM male mice, 100 rads | 230 | 100 | rad | 2000 curie cesium-137 source | EXT | 10WK |
| 6 | RFM male mice, 150 rads | 199 | 150 | rad | 2000 curie cesium-137 source | EXT | 10WK |
| 7 | RFM male mice, 300 rads | 571 | 300 | rad | 2000 curie cesium-137 source | EXT | 10WK |
| 8 | RFM female control mice | 4013 | 0 | rad | 2000 curie cesium-137 source | EXT | 10WK |
| 9 | RFM female mice, 10 rads | 2827 | 10 | rad | 2000 curie cesium-137 source | EXT | 10WK |
| 10 | RFM female mice, 25 rads | 965 | 25 | rad | 2000 curie cesium-137 source | EXT | 10WK |
| 11 | RFM female mice, 50 rads | 1143 | 50 | rad | 2000 curie cesium-137 source | EXT | 10WK |
| 12 | RFM female mice, 75 rads | 246 | 75 | rad | 2000 curie cesium-137 source | EXT | 10WK |
| 13 | RFM female mice, 100 rads | 1100 | 100 | rad | 2000 curie cesium-137 source | EXT | 10WK |
| 14 | RFM female mice, 150 rads | 1043 | 150 | rad | 2000 curie cesium-137 source | EXT | 10WK |
| 15 | RFM female mice, 200 rads | 333 | 200 | rad | 2000 curie cesium-137 source | EXT | 10WK |
| 16 | RFM female mice, 300 rads | 4133 | 300 | rad | 2000 curie cesium-137 source | EXT | 10WK |
| 17 | RFM female mice, 400 rads | 396 | 400 | rad | 2000 curie cesium-137 source | EXT | 10WK |
| 18 | RFM serially sacrificed, controls (female) | 457 | 0 | rad | 2000 curie cesium-137 source | EXT | 10WK |
| 19 | RFM serially sacrificed, 300 rads (female) | 517 | 300 | rad | 2000 curie cesium-137 source | EXT | 10WK |
Data:
stay tuned for datasheet downloads.
Burro Studies
Burro Study: Groups of 10, 9,and 10 burros were exposed to 320, 425, and 545 R, respectively. There were 10 unirradiated controls. In 1953, 20 burros were exposed to 375 R (gamma) in 25-R/week increments without acute mortality and were added to this life-span study. In 1957, 33 burros were exposed to mixed neutron-gamma radiation from nuclear weapons, and 14 controls were added. The total number of irradiated burros in the study increased to 88 by the addition of 6 animals irradiated with 180 rads of neutron and gamma radiation (4:1) in a “Godiva type” reactor in 1959.
For additional reading see:
Lushbaugh, C.C., Brown, D.G. and Freme, E.L. (1983). “Longevity of irradiated burros,” in Life-Span Radiation Effects Studies in Animals: What Can They Tell Us? Proceedings of the Twenty-Second Hanford Life Sciences Symposium, pp. 107-115 (Thompson, R.C. and Mahaffey, J.A., Eds.), CONF 83095-1 (DE87000490), US DOE Technical Information Center, Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
THOMAS RE, BROWN DG. Response of burros to neutron-gamma-radiation. Health Phys. 1961 Aug;6:19-26. doi: 10.1097/00004032-196107000-00003. PMID: 13776532.
Annual Reports:
Stay tuned.