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NATO Advanced Training Course on Rapid Diagnosis in Population at Emergency and
Risk 'RADIPER', Krakow - Zakopane, 19th -23rd of October, 2009, Poland (http://natoatcradiper.org).
During the five days of October 2009 in Krakow and Zakopane was organized the NATO Advanced Training Course on Rapid
Diagnosis in Population at Emergency and Risk. At the very beginning NATO ATC 'RADIPER' was conceived as a part of the
program within the Framework of Promotion of the Polish Science and Poland as the Host of the 14th International
Congress of Radiation Research, that in the year 2011, will be held in Warsaw, the birth place of Maria Sk³odowska-Curie,
in the year 2011 we will celebrate also a remarkable Anniversary of 100 years since the Maria Sk³odowska-Curie was
awarded with the second Nobel Prize1.
The NATO ATC 'RADIPER' was held under the Honorable Patronage of Minister of Science and Higher
Education - Prof. Barbara Kudrycka, Marshal of the Ma³opolskie Voivodeship - Marek Nawara and the Mayor of Krakow -
Prof. Jacek Majchrowski.
The 'RADIPER' Course was directed by Professor Antonina Cebulska-Wasilewska2
and Co-Directed by Dr. Andreyan N.Osipov3 and organized by the Department of
Radiation and Environmental Biology of the H. Niewodniczañski Institute of Nuclear Physics PAN (http://natoatcradiper.org).
On the 95th anniversary of the First World Scientific and Scientists Service for Protection Against War Injury
introduced by Maria Sk³odowska-Curie, and on the 60th anniversary of NATO, we have welcomed to Poland scientists and
researchers from 22 countries, with the support of the NATO Science for Peace and Security Programme.
Rapid detection of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear agents and rapid diagnosis through physical and
biological dosimetry (via molecular and cellular damage) of their possible short and long term effects on potentially
exposed members of population at risk were included in the program of lectures and practical trainings.
The Aim of the Course
In our time, populations can potentially be exposed to varying doses of ionising radiation or to hazardous chemicals
as a result of an accident, act of terrorism, or war. This exposure could cause direct clinical effects within days
or weeks or bring about late effects on human health in such as an increased cancer rate. The efforts of research and
applied science should ultimately contribute to an approval of regulated biodosimetry and diagnostic tests integrated
into the national and international radioprotection and human monitoring programs. The main aim of the RADIPER NATO
Advanced Training Course was to cover scientific aspects in this field, enabling the taking in advance the best action
to protect the public against consequences of terrorism and other threats on the basis of state-of-the-art knowledge.
Members participating in the RADIPER Course included 12 specialists from Czech Republic, Egypt, England, Finland,
Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Romania, USA, 34 trainees from Albania, Armenia, Belarus, Croatia,
Egypt, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Russia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Spain and Taiwan and seven assistants
from the NZ55 at the service.
Trainings
Personal practical trainings, in two separate laboratories supervised by 3 assistants each, were prepared at the course
site. Labs were available for everybody each early morning and evening during the RADIPER course.
The first lab was organized for gene mutation screening and studying radiation dose response curves
(contained; growing chamber with bioindicator materials and culture, microscopic facilities and lab ware, instructions).
The second one, computers laboratory was organized to study and compare biomarkers levels
(DNA damage, CA, SCE, MN, FISH) in cells of unexposed and exposed to radiation subjects (each computer in the network
was supplied with instructions and training materials in the form of images and software for screening).
Between lectures and trainings all participants had an opportunity to see exhibition provided by the Museum of Maria
Sk³odowska-Curie in Warsaw, and entitled " the Life and Achievements of Maria Sk³odowska - Curie" designed by Ma³gorzata
Sobieszczak-Marciniak (Director of the Museum), as well as poster inviting to Poland for the 14th ICRR.
The special training excursion to the Tatra Mountains was also undertaken, in a assistance of medical physicist,
to find out if that was true that any radioactivity might be present in the Valley of the White (Dolina Bia³ego)
or its neighbourhood that should be considered as a potential health risk to tourists or forest men. Our dosimetric
investigation was based on measurements made during the walk along the valley with GammaTRACER® monitor and compared
with TLD (thermoluminescent dosimeters) results. The analysis of the radiation spectrum from the sample collected
from that drift are still going on, nevertheless, the preliminary results of analysis with a gamma-ray spectroscopy
technique revealed that in the radiation spectrum of the samples of minerals collected in the mining strips of the
valley (Dolina Bia³ego) the following isotopes: U-235, U-238 and Ra-226 has been identified.
Conclusions (cited from the Preface to the RADIPER IOS PRESS Book)
We hope that participants of the RADIPER course have gained knowledge of the deterministic and stochastic effects and
biomarkers associated with humans' early and late health risk, after exposure to physical and chemical agents. We hope
they have also gained expanded practical skills in detecting biomarkers of exposure to genotoxicants using different
well established biological assays, such as dicentrics, micronuclei, translocations, premature chromosome condensations,
comet assays and more. Finally, we hope that the participants of the RADIPER course will cherish and preserve the
created network for use in the future, in order to protect the public from a pointless health risk.
We also hope that that everybody enjoyed the hospitality of the hosts and social events that were following the hard
and long working hours, so we could possibly meet again during 14th ICRR in Warsaw:
Finally we hope that 340 pages of the post-RADIPER monographic book, that recently is in press (a brief issue is given
below) will became a suitable tool in their future practice.
The Title: Rapid Diagnosis of a Population in an Emergency and at Risk after Exposure to Ionizing Radiation
and Chemicals, IOS Press,
Issue Preface
I. Exposure, Biomarkers and Health Risk
II. Retrospective Biological Dosimetry, Monitoring and Emergency
III. Individual Susceptibility
IV. Modification of Biological Effects, Protection
V. Models and Modelling
VI. Trainings
On a behalf of Organizing Committee
Antonina Cebulska-Wasilewska
1 Nobel Award 1903 - 'In recognition of the extraordinary services they have rendered by their joint research on the radiation phenomena discovered by Professor Henri Becquerel'. Nobel Award 1911 - 'In recognition of Maria Sk³odowska-Curie services to the advancement of the chemistry and many other fields of radiation research, by the discovery of the elements radium and polonium, by the isolation of radium and the study of the nature and compounds of this remarkable element'.
2 The Henryk Niewodniczanski Institute of Nuclear Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Krakow: http://www.ifj.edu.pl/
3 N.N. Semenov Institute of Chemical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow: http://www.chph.ras.ru/
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Contact address:
Bureau of the ICRR2011 President and Congress Promotion
Antonina Cebulska - Wasilewska - President
Institute of Nuclear Physics PAN, NZ55
ul. Radzikowskiego 152,
31-342 Kraków, Poland,
tel./fax: +4812 662 8001,
e-mail: bpiok@ifj.edu.pl
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