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Nuclear test effects studied
A $100,000 research grant offered to the New Zealand
Nuclear Test Veterans Association by the Government will be used to assess
the health status of veterans who witnessed the atomic bomb tests in the
Pacific during the 1950s.
 The
University has been contracted to undertake the interdisciplinary genetics
and psychological research, which will involve a series of studies using
the latest gene analysis techniques on a sample of the nuclear veterans.
Research team leader is Dr Al Rowland of the Institute of Molecular BioSciences,
who will work in collaboration with researchers at St Andrews University
in Scotland – one of the world’s leading institutions on the
effects of radiation damage to genetic material.
The intensive chromosomal study is aimed at finding out if any of the
sample of veterans have suffered any long-term genetic damage. In conjunction
with this will be a psychological study by Dr John Podd, of the School
of Psychology, to establish a psychological profile of the men who have
suffered stresses as a consequence of their experiences.
Dr Rowland says there is a strong correlation between radiation exposure,
genetic damage and various cancers, especially blood and bone cancers.
“Until now it has been a contentious issue as to whether the veterans
who witnessed the nuclear bomb tests 50 years ago suffered any genetic
damage from the radiation exposure and if they did, whether that damage
can be detected from an event that occurred so long ago.
“With the development of modern, sensitive molecular techniques we
can now probe the genetic material to gauge the extent of any genetic
damage. What we hope to uncover is whether this group of men has more
chromosomal damage in the cells compared to other men of similar age and
lifestyle.”
The techniques the research team will use involve gathering DNA material
from each of the veterans in the study via a blood sample then looking
at their chromosomes to assess whether they have undergone any changes
known to be linked to radiation damage. Liz Nickless, a member of the
Massey research team, is leaving for St Andrews next week to spend two
months working in Professor Peter Bryant’s laboratory to learn a
particular chromosome analysis technique to detect minute exchanges of
DNA between chromosomes. She will bring this technique to New Zealand.
Dr Rowland says while the changes in the structure of the chromosomes
can be linked to changes caused by exposure to radiation, it is very difficult
to link the mutations to cancers. However, detection techniques are improving
all the time.
“We know exposure to radiation will cause certain changes to occur
within the cell – techniques we will be using can also be applied
to assess how much radiation a patient undergoing radiation therapy for
cancer can withstand. We won’t be able to say conclusively that any
changes we detect will definitely cause cancer or any other illness. But
this pilot study should provide some answers for the test veterans as
to whether any long-term genetic damage has occurred.”
Along with the $100,000 from the Nuclear Test Veterans Association, funding
has also been provided by the New Zealand Cancer Society to fund Ms Nickless’
stay in Scotland, with additional assistance from the New Zealand Royal
Society and the University.
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