Frequency of micronuclei in the cells of buccal epithelium in Ukrainian schoolchildren of various age and sex

The frequency of micronuclei (MN) has been studied in 266 schoolchildren, participants of All-Ukrainian school competitions on biology and ecology. The distribution of MN frequencies was Poissonian with λ = 2.5. The mean MN frequency was 2.4 ± 0.15‰ in boys and 2.7 ± 0.14‰ in girls; the difference is not statistically significant. The individual MN frequency varied from 0 to 8.3‰ and on the average was 2.5 ± 0.11‰ which does not exceed known mean population values. We have shown differences in the MN frequency between sexes in some age groups: MN frequency was significantly higher in girls than in boys aged 16 years. The dynamics of age-related changes in the MN frequency of boys and girls also differed in the period studied (14–18 years of age).