Abstract

Radiation damage to the matrix cells of actively growing hairs can result in transient epilation in the pig, the severity of which can be assessed using a visual scoring system. The extent of hair loss was found to be dose-dependent for single doses in the range 6 - 14 Gy for 250 kV X rays. The ED50 for detectable hair loss was 9.83 ± 0.58 Gy whilst that for the loss of >50% of hairs was 13.78 ± 0.90 Gy. The system is simple, non-invasive and would appear to have considerable potential for use in biological dosimetry for high exposures that are likely to require local treatment.

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