Objective To understand the overall micronucleus level in peripheral blood lymphocytes of radiation workers in Yangzhou, and to provide orientation for occupational health surveillance of these persons.

Methods The examination Results of micronucleus in peripheral blood lymphocytes of 2 124 radiation workers in Yangzhou in 2018 were analyzed.

Results The rate of micronucleus in peripheral blood lymphocytes was lower than 6‰ among all radiation workers, which ranked within normal range. The rate of micronucleus detected before employment was positively related to their age (r_s=0.513, P < 0.01). The rate of micronucleus detected before employment of radiation workers aged with 20 to 29 year old or higher than 50 years old was lower than that detected during employment period or after leaving (P < 0.05).There was a trend that longer exposure time, higher rate of micronucleus (r_s=0.239, P < 0.01). There was a variation of rate of micronucleus among radiation workers engaged in different jobs (P < 0.01), higher rate noted among radiation workers engaged in industrial applications and nuclear medicine. There was a significant difference of micronucleus among radiation workers in different organizations (P < 0.01), and the micronucleus rates of radiology staff in both Tier 1 hospitals and dental clinics were numerically higher.

Conclusion Overall health status of radiation workers in Yangzhou was not bad, the rate of micronucleus in peripheral blood lymphocytes of these persons was low, which was related to their age, exposure time and job task.