40 years later, kids of Chornobyl nuclear disaster victims show mutations in first such proof

Scientists have, for the first time, found mutations in the children of people exposed to radiation in the Chornobyl nuclear disaster. A study has established a clear transgenerational link between those originally at the centre of the disaster and their offspring. This identification was made possible when researchers changed the way they looked for such DNA damage. Previous studies have checked for genetic damage passed from parent to child, but have failed to find proof in the case of Chornobyl victims. Researchers, led by a team from the University of Bonn in Germany, took a different route, and instead of looking for new DNA mutations in the next generation, they concentrated on clustered de novo mutations (cDNMs) where two or more mutations are observed in close proximity. These mutations occur from breaks in the parental DNA caused by radiation exposure. The research has been published in Scientific Reports.

Also Read: Chernobyl disaster site has nothing growing, except this organism that is thriving on radiation

They noted a significant increase in the cDNM count in children of parents exposed to the radiation in Chornobyl. The researchers wrote, "Despite uncertainty concerning the precise nature and quantity of the IR involved, the present study is the first to provide evidence for the existence of a transgenerational effect of prolonged paternal exposure to low-dose IR on the human genome." The researchers carried out whole genome sequencing on 130 offspring of Chornobyl cleanup workers, 110 children of German military radar operators who were likely exposed to stray radiation, and 1,275 such kids whose parents were not exposed to radiation. The researchers found 2.65 cDNMs in each child in the Chornobyl group, 1.48 per child in the German radar group, and 0.88 per child in the control group.

Also Read: Dogs in Chernobyl have suddenly turned blue, and no, it is not because of radiation

How dangerous is nuclear radiation to kids of Chornobyl victims?

The team made adjustments to the data for noise and said that even though the numbers were overestimates, they are still very high. It shows a higher radiation exposure to the parent, translated to a higher number of clusters in the child. The finding proves that radiation creates molecules known as reactive oxygen species that are capable of breaking DNA strands, which can lead to these clusters. However, this does not mean that the children were at a higher risk of any disease linked to the radiation. The study notes that the risk of more DNA mutations being passed on to the child is higher with older dads, as compared to the potential risks from radiation exposure examined in the study.