Genomic insights into somatic mutations from occupational exposure to low-dose ionizing radiation
18 affiliations
- 1Department of Occupational & Environmental Medicine, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan, Republic of Korea .
- 2Research Institute for Convergence of Biomedical Science & Technology, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan, Republic of Korea .
- 3Department of Research, Keimyung University Dongsan Medical Center, Daegu, Republic of Korea .
- 4Medical Research Institute, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Republic of Korea .
- 5National Radiation Emergency Medical Center, Korea Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences, Seoul, Republic of Korea .
- 6Department of Medical Sciences, Graduate School, Soonchunhyang University, Asan, Chungnam, Republic of Korea .
- 7Department of Biomedical Laboratory Science, College of Medical Sciences, Soonchunhyang University, Asan, Chungnam, Republic of Korea .
- 8Institute for Molecular Metabolism Innovation, Soonchunhyang University, Asan 31538, Republic of Korea
- 9FNCT Biotech, Inc . Seoul, Republic of Korea .
- 10Division of Respiratory & Allergy, Department of Internal Medicine, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan, Republic of Korea .
- 11Department of Oral Biochemistry, Dental & Life Science Institute, School of Dentistry, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Republic of Korea .
- 12Department of Convergence Medicine, School of Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Republic of Korea .
- 13Transplantation Research Center, Research Institute for Convergence of Biomedical Science & Technology, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan, Republic of Korea .
- 14Department of Periodontology & Dental Research Institute, Pusan National University Dental Hospital, Yangsan, Republic of Korea .
- 15Periodontal Disease Signaling Network Research Center, School of Dentistry, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Republic of Korea .
- 16Department of Oral Pathology, Dental & Life Science Institute, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Republic of Korea
- 17Department of Biomedical Informatics School of Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Republic of Korea .
- 18Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Republic of Korea .
Abstract
Objectives: Low-dose ionizing radiation (LDIR, ≤100 mGy) is a public health concern due to its extensive use in diagnostic and therapeutic imaging. This study examined somatic variants (SV) among Korean industrial radiographers exposed to LDIR using whole-genome sequencing (WGS).
Methods: WGS data from 65 workers (mean age 36.7 years) collected between 2016 and 2023 were analyzed. Participants had a mean employment duration of 12.7 years and an average cumulative radiation dose of 33.9 mSv from National Dose Registry records. SV were identified via the GATK Mutect2 single-sample workflow applied to peripheral blood-derived DNA and sequentially filtered using standard pipelines, including FilterMutectCalls, population frequency, recurrent artifacts, Funcotator annotation, and manual Integrative Genomics Viewer review.
Results: A total of 105 170 somatic variants were identified, with a median of 1744 variants per individual, approximately 98% of which were single nucleotide variants. Cumulative radiation dose showed a significant positive correlation with total SV burden (R=0.32, P=0.013), including both coding (R=0.34, P=0.008) and non-coding regions (R=0.31, P=0.015). Age, smoking, alcohol consumption, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia were not significantly associated with variant burden.
Conclusions: These WGS-based findings provide preliminary insight into blood-derived SV patterns among occupationally exposed radiation workers. Given the small sample size, blood-only design, and absence of matched unexposed controls, the findings should be interpreted as hypothesis-generating and require validation in larger longitudinal studies with comprehensive exposure assessment.
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BibTeX
@article{kim2026genomic,
title = {{Genomic insights into somatic mutations from occupational exposure to low-dose ionizing radiation}},
author = {Kihun Kim and Junho Kang and Dong Min Lim and Seongjae Jang and Younghyun Lee and Yang Hee Lee and Hyo Jin Yoon and SuSan Yang and Seung Hyun Kim and Dalnim Lee and Won Il Jang and Hyoju Sung and Min-Jung Kim and Eunjeong Son and Hyung-Sik Kim and Dongjun Lee and Hae Ryoun Park and Songwon Seo and Yun Hak Kim},
journal = {Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment \& Health},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.5271/sjweh.4317},
url = {https://doi.org/10.5271/sjweh.4317},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Genomic insights into somatic mutations from occupational exposure to low-dose ionizing radiation
AU - Kihun Kim
AU - Junho Kang
AU - Dong Min Lim
AU - Seongjae Jang
AU - Younghyun Lee
AU - Yang Hee Lee
AU - Hyo Jin Yoon
AU - SuSan Yang
AU - Seung Hyun Kim
AU - Dalnim Lee
AU - Won Il Jang
AU - Hyoju Sung
AU - Min-Jung Kim
AU - Eunjeong Son
AU - Hyung-Sik Kim
AU - Dongjun Lee
AU - Hae Ryoun Park
AU - Songwon Seo
AU - Yun Hak Kim
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/01
JO - Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health
DO - 10.5271/sjweh.4317
UR - https://doi.org/10.5271/sjweh.4317
AB - Objectives: Low-dose ionizing radiation (LDIR, ≤100 mGy) is a public health concern due to its extensive use in diagnostic and therapeutic imaging. This study examined somatic variants (SV) among Korean industrial radiographers exposed to LDIR using whole-genome sequencing (WGS). Methods: WGS data from 65 workers (mean age 36.7 years) collected between 2016 and 2023 were analyzed. Participants had a mean employment duration of 12.7 years and an average cumulative radiation dose of 33.9 mSv from National Dose Registry records. SV were identified via the GATK Mutect2 single-sample workflow applied to peripheral blood-derived DNA and sequentially filtered using standard pipelines, including FilterMutectCalls, population frequency, recurrent artifacts, Funcotator annotation, and manual Integrative Genomics Viewer review. Results: A total of 105 170 somatic variants were identified, with a median of 1744 variants per individual, approximately 98% of which were single nucleotide variants. Cumulative radiation dose showed a significant positive correlation with total SV burden (R=0.32, P=0.013), including both coding (R=0.34, P=0.008) and non-coding regions (R=0.31, P=0.015). Age, smoking, alcohol consumption, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia were not significantly associated with variant burden. Conclusions: These WGS-based findings provide preliminary insight into blood-derived SV patterns among occupationally exposed radiation workers. Given the small sample size, blood-only design, and absence of matched unexposed controls, the findings should be interpreted as hypothesis-generating and require validation in larger longitudinal studies with comprehensive exposure assessment.
SN - 0355-3140
SN - 1795-990X
ER -