Mice (CBA x C57BL)F], of both sex and males C57BL were exposed within the 10 km zone of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station during 14, 22 and 34 days. Genetic damages of chronic radiation in the exposed adult mice, and in the course of embryogenesis, was studied. The gonadal absorbed radiation doses of the exposed mice varied from 0.5 to 1.5 Gy. The frequencies of dominant lethal mutations, abnormal sperm heads and reciprocal translocations linearly increase with increasing absorbed radiation doses. Among 49 males exposed at the embryonal stage one male heterozygote for reciprocal translocation was revealed. In other males of this group, reciprocal translocation yield was low. No uniform dependence of genetic effects from mice genotype was revealed.
