Professional chronic radiation exposure: prospects for studying mutagenic effects in generations using the Southern Ural DNA bank of irradiated people and their offspring

Data on the established DNA Bank were summarized. The DNA Bank included workers of the Mayak nuclear facility in the Southern Ural, who were exposed to chronic radiation predominantly from external gamma-rays in different doses, and their families for the future study on radiation mutations in somatic cells of parents and possible transmission of genome instability through the germline. At present the DNA Bank contains genetic material from 1500 individuals, among whom there are 223 families.