The study of DNA oxidation has progressed from an exploratory phase, during which its
basic biochemistry was established, into a field branching out into numerous areas. Early
on, radiation biologists discovered that radiolysis of water generates oxygen free radicals,
which are responsible for many of the consequences of irradiating living things. The
characterization of radiation-induced oxidative DNA lesions, and the connection between
radiation and cancer, caused a surge of interest in DNA oxidation per se and raised the …