Efficient training technique for new biodosimetry evaluators

The dicentric assay, the current gold standard in biological dosimetry, requires a degree of technical competence. Expertise is usually developed by the evaluation of hundreds of metaphases, and is documented through establishment of a dose response curve, which is required by any laboratory performing biological dosimetry. Consistent evaluation of metaphases must be established for any new observer in a laboratory that should contribute to analyses. Discrepancies in scoring can seriously jeoparidize the reliability of any assessment. FOI, together with the NRPA, has conducted an inter-calibration exercise to establish comparable scoring criteria of aberrations. The exercise revealed specific aberrations that were difficult to identify and were consistent sources of uncertainty. This exercise further illustrated the need for a method report detailing the FOI lab´s scoring criteria. The final outcome of this exercise was the development of a strategy for establishing technical competence in metaphse scoring in an efficient manner. The methods suggested here could be applied for the training of new or additional personnel. Comparable documentation of methods in other laboratories could facilitate more consistent scoring critera aming the biodosimetry community, a problem observed in previous international inter-comparisons. Better consistency among laboratories could provide an opportunity to reliably share the work load among different members of the biodosimetry community in the event of a mass casualty accident.