Joseph K. Gong, associate professor emeritus of oral diagnostic sciences and chair of UB's Radioisotope Safety Committee, is lead author on the paper. Gong has spent a lifetime researching, lecturing and writing on the health effects of low-level radiation. His work has centered on seeking a predictable, accurate and practical cell marker of internal biological damage from radiation, using a rat model. Gong's test, called the Transferrin Receptor Red Cell Assay, or E-Tr assay, measures the amount of radiation that has been absorbed by the body. The larger the pool of mutated cells, the greater the risk.
Cancer can take years to decades to develop, depending on the type.
It also can determine if cell mutations from ionizing radiation are increasing over time. If so, the individual can take steps to stop the increase, perhaps through a change in job, diet or environment. It gives people more control over their health. The method most widely used to determine radiation exposure in the workplace is a badge containing radiation-sensitive film, which the worker wears on the job. The badge measures external radiation exposure only.