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Sartayev Y, Matsuu-Matsuyama M, Yamaguchi I, Takahashi J, Gutevich A, Hayashida N. Internal radiation exposure from 137Cs and its association with the dietary habits of residents from areas affected by the Chernobyl nuclear accident, Ukraine: 2016-2018. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0291498. [PMID: 37713425 PMCID: PMC10503735 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0291498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The total annual effective dose has steadily decreased since the fallout of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. However, chronic internal exposure to 137Cs still persists and fluctuates in a complex and unpredictable manner. Recently, body contamination was found to primarily occur owing to the intake of forest foodstuffs that contain long-lived 137Cs. Forest foodstuffs may have up to 100 times higher concentration of cesium than does local milk and meat. The present study aimed to investigate the recent dietary habits of residents in the Zhytomyr region of Ukraine, and assess the effect of the intake of forest foodstuffs on the increase in internal radioactivity from 137Cs. We screened 1,612 participants, from July 2016 to February 2018 for internal radioactivity, using whole-body counter at Korosten Medical Center and surveyed their background and intake habits. We analyzed the association among food type, intake frequency, and internal exposure dose. The analysis revealed that nearly 90% of the participants regularly consumed one of the forest foodstuffs (mushrooms, berries, fish) or milk. Nearly 80% of the participants indicated that they consumed mushrooms or berries or both. Internal radioactivity was detected in 30% of the participants. The diet that included mushrooms exhibited the highest internal radioactivity. The lowest Bq/kg concentration was observed in the only-berry group, following the no-intake group. There was a significant correlation between the intake frequency and the magnitude of Bq/kg. Radioactivity detected in the mushroom-berry and only-mushroom group were 8.6 and 9.2 Bq/kg, respectively. The lowest and highest intake frequency showed a radioactivity of 2.4 and 7.5 Bq/kg, respectively. Radioactivity in the winter season was significantly higher than that in other seasons. In conclusion, our study revealed that internal radioactivity varies depending on the type of food, intake frequency, and season.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yesbol Sartayev
- Life Sciences and Radiation Research, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan
- Division of Strategic Collaborative Research, Atomic Bomb Disease Institute, Nagasaki, Japan
| | | | | | - Jumpei Takahashi
- Center for International Collaborative Research, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
| | | | - Naomi Hayashida
- Life Sciences and Radiation Research, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan
- Division of Strategic Collaborative Research, Atomic Bomb Disease Institute, Nagasaki, Japan
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Drozdovitch V, Kukhta T, Trofimik S, Melo DR, Viarenich K, Podgaiskaya M, Minenko V. Doses from external irradiation and ingestion of 134Cs, 137Cs and 90Sr of the population of Belarus accumulated over 35 years after the Chernobyl accident. RADIATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL BIOPHYSICS 2022; 61:445-464. [PMID: 35767189 PMCID: PMC10084818 DOI: 10.1007/s00411-022-00979-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2021] [Accepted: 06/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
This study considers the exposure of the population of the most contaminated Gomel and Mogilev Oblasts in Belarus to prolonged sources of irradiation resulting from the Chernobyl accident. Dose reconstruction methods were developed and applied in this study to estimate the red bone-marrow doses (RBMs) from (i) external irradiation from gamma-emitting radionuclides deposited on the ground and (ii) 134Cs, 137Cs and 90Sr ingestion with locally produced foodstuffs. The mean population-weighted RBM doses accumulated during 35 years after the Chernobyl accident were 12 and 5.7 mGy for adult residents in Gomel and Mogilev Oblasts, respectively, while doses for youngest age groups were 20-40% lower. The highest mean area-specific RBM doses for adults accumulated in 1986-2021 were 63, 56 and 46 mGy in Narovlya, Vetka and Korma raions in Gomel Oblast, respectively. For most areas, external irradiation was the predominant pathway of exposure (60-70% from the total dose), except for areas with an extremely high aggregated 137Cs soil to cow's milk transfer coefficient (≥ 5.0 Bq L-1 per kBq m-2), where the contribution of 134Cs and 137Cs ingestion to the total RBM dose was more than 70%. The contribution of 90Sr intake to the total RBM dose did not exceed 4% for adults and 10% for newborns in most raion in Gomel and Mogilev Oblasts. The validity of the doses estimated in this study was assessed by comparison with doses obtained from measurements by thermoluminescence dosimeters and whole-body counters done in 1987-2015. The methodology developed in this study can be used to calculate doses to target organs other than RBM such as thyroid and breast doses. The age-dependent and population-weighted doses estimated in this study are useful for ecological epidemiological studies, for projection of radiation risk, and for justification of analytical epidemiological studies in populations exposed to Chernobyl fallout.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vladimir Drozdovitch
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, NIH, DHHS, 9609 Medical Center Drive, Room 7E548 MSC 9778, Bethesda, MD, 20892-9778, USA.
| | - Tatiana Kukhta
- United Institute of Informatics Problems, National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Minsk, Belarus
| | - Sergey Trofimik
- Institute for Nuclear Problems, Belarusian State University, Minsk, Belarus
| | | | - Kiryl Viarenich
- Institute for Nuclear Problems, Belarusian State University, Minsk, Belarus
| | - Marina Podgaiskaya
- Republican Center of Radiation Control and Environmental Monitoring, 220023, Minsk, Belarus
| | - Victor Minenko
- Institute for Nuclear Problems, Belarusian State University, Minsk, Belarus
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Gunko NV, Ivanova OM, Loganovsky KM, Korotkova NV, Masiuk SV. SOME ISSUES OF LIFE ACTIVITIES OF POPULATION IN THE CHORNOBYL EXCLUSION ZONE IN UKRAINE. PROBLEMY RADIATSIINOI MEDYTSYNY TA RADIOBIOLOHII 2021; 26:141-161. [PMID: 34965546 DOI: 10.33145/2304-8336-2021-26-141-161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Radiation accidents at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant (USSR, 1986) and Fukushima-1 (Japan,2011) have shown that global environmental contamination is an intervention in normal human life making nega-tive effect on population health. These accidents highlighted a number of statutory and regulatory both with me-dical and social problems for individuals, who returned voluntarily for permanent residence in the ChornobylExclusion Zone i.e. a radiation-hazardous area (they are named the «self-settlers»). OBJECTIVE generalization of experience in the settlement of normative-legal, ecological-dosimetric and medico-social life issues of population living in the Chornobyl NPP (ChNPP) Exclusion Zone («self-settlers»). OBJECT AND METHODS The chosen problem is complex, necessitating the generalization of radiation-hygienic, med-ical-biological, socio-economic, demographic and sociological research results obtained by the national and foreignauthors. A set of theoretical research and analysis of empirical data methods on the principles of interdisciplinaryinteraction was used; the systematic, legal, economic, medical-biological, demographic and retrospective-dosimet-ric approaches of research were applied. RESULTS It was shown that a part of population refused to evacuate or had returned for permanent residence to theradiation-hazardous lands after the ChNPP accident. In 1986-2009 the number of «self-settlers» ranged from 150to 2,000 in different years. In 2021 - the 101 people. Those were mainly people of working age, mostly females, single people or widows/widowers. Рrevious medical and dosimetric studies have shown that long-term residence inthe Exclusion Zone affects physical and mental health of «self-settlers» and causes atypical aging, includinginvolvement of the central nervous system. According to calculations, the average effective total radiation doseaccumulated by «self-settlers» for the first 3 years was 30 % of dose for the entire post-accident period, and thedose accumulated over 20 years was 54 % of the dose accumulated over 35 years. But the effective radiation dosesaccumulated in different periods after the accident differ significantly in residents of different Exclusion Zone settlements. This information needs further study in terms of the «radiation dose - health status» dependence. CONCLUSIONS The effective radiation doses accumulated in different periods after the accident differ significantlyin the residents of different Exclusion Zone settlements. Тhe average effective total radiation dose accumulated by«self-settlers» for the first 3 years was 30 % of the dose for the entire post-accident period, and the dose accumulated over 20 years was 54 % of the dose accumulated over 35 years.
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Affiliation(s)
- N V Gunko
- State Institution «National Research Center for Radiation Medicine of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine», 53 Yuriia Illienka Str., Kyiv, 04050, Ukraine
| | - O M Ivanova
- State Institution «National Research Center for Radiation Medicine of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine», 53 Yuriia Illienka Str., Kyiv, 04050, Ukraine
| | - K M Loganovsky
- State Institution «National Research Center for Radiation Medicine of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine», 53 Yuriia Illienka Str., Kyiv, 04050, Ukraine
| | - N V Korotkova
- State Institution «National Research Center for Radiation Medicine of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine», 53 Yuriia Illienka Str., Kyiv, 04050, Ukraine
| | - S V Masiuk
- State Institution «National Research Center for Radiation Medicine of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine», 53 Yuriia Illienka Str., Kyiv, 04050, Ukraine
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Chumak V, Bakhanova E, Kryuchkov V, Golovanov I, Chizhov K, Bazyka D, Gudzenko N, Trotsuk N, Mabuchi K, Hatch M, Cahoon EK, Little MP, Kukhta T, de Gonzalez AB, Chanock SJ, Drozdovitch V. Estimation of radiation gonadal doses for the American-Ukrainian trio study of parental irradiation in Chornobyl cleanup workers and evacuees and germline mutations in their offspring. JOURNAL OF RADIOLOGICAL PROTECTION : OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR RADIOLOGICAL PROTECTION 2021; 41:10.1088/1361-6498/abf0f4. [PMID: 33752181 PMCID: PMC9426296 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6498/abf0f4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Radiation doses of parents exposed from the Chornobyl accident as cleanup workers or evacuees were estimated in the National Cancer Institute-National Research Center for Radiation Medicine trio (i.e. father, mother, offspring) study aimed at investigating the radiation effects on germlinede novomutations in children as well as other outcomes. Paternal (testes) and maternal (ovaries) gonadal doses were calculated along with associated uncertainty distributions for the following exposure pathways: (a) external irradiation during the cleanup mission, (b) external irradiation during residence in Pripyat, and (c) external irradiation and (d) ingestion of radiocesium isotopes, such as134Cs and137Cs, during residence in settlements other than Pripyat. Gonadal doses were reconstructed for 298 trios for the periods from the time of the accident on 26 April 1986 to two time points before the child's date of birth (DOB): 51 (DOB-51) and 38 (DOB-38) weeks. The two doses, DOB-51 and DOB-38 were equal (within 1 mGy) in most instances, except for 35 fathers where the conception of the child occurred within 3 months of exposure or during exposure. The arithmetic mean of gonadal DOB-38 doses was 227 mGy (median: 11 mGy, range 0-4080 mGy) and 8.5 mGy (median: 1.0 mGy, range 0-550 mGy) for fathers and mothers, respectively. Gonadal doses varied considerably depending on the exposure pathway, the highest gonadal DOB-38 doses being received during the cleanup mission (mean doses of 376 and 34 mGy, median of 144 and 7.4 mGy for fathers and mothers, respectively), followed by exposure during residence in Pripyat (7.7 and 13 mGy for mean, 7.2 and 6.2 mGy for median doses) and during residence in other settlements (2.0 and 2.1 mGy for mean, 0.91 and 0.81 mGy for median doses). Monte Carlo simulations were used to estimate the parental gonadal doses and associated uncertainties. The geometric standard deviations (GSDs) in the individual parental stochastic doses due to external irradiation during the cleanup mission varied from 1.2 to 4.7 (mean of 1.8), while during residence in Pripyat they varied from 1.4 to 2.8 (mean of 1.8), while the mean GSD in doses received during residence in settlements other than Pripyat was 1.3 and 1.4 for external irradiation and ingestion of radiocesium isotopes, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vadim Chumak
- National Research Centre for Radiation Medicine, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Elena Bakhanova
- National Research Centre for Radiation Medicine, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Victor Kryuchkov
- Burnasyan Federal Medical and Biophysical Centre, Moscow, Russia
| | - Ivan Golovanov
- Burnasyan Federal Medical and Biophysical Centre, Moscow, Russia
| | - Konstantin Chizhov
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, NIH, DHHS, 9609 Medical Center Drive, Room 7E548 MSC 9778, Bethesda, MD 20892-9778, United States of America
| | - Dimitry Bazyka
- National Research Centre for Radiation Medicine, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | | | - Natalia Trotsuk
- National Research Centre for Radiation Medicine, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Kiyohiko Mabuchi
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, NIH, DHHS, 9609 Medical Center Drive, Room 7E548 MSC 9778, Bethesda, MD 20892-9778, United States of America
| | - Maureen Hatch
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, NIH, DHHS, 9609 Medical Center Drive, Room 7E548 MSC 9778, Bethesda, MD 20892-9778, United States of America
| | - Elizabeth K Cahoon
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, NIH, DHHS, 9609 Medical Center Drive, Room 7E548 MSC 9778, Bethesda, MD 20892-9778, United States of America
| | - Mark P Little
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, NIH, DHHS, 9609 Medical Center Drive, Room 7E548 MSC 9778, Bethesda, MD 20892-9778, United States of America
| | - Tatiana Kukhta
- United Institute of Informatics Problems, Minsk, Belarus
| | - Amy Berrington de Gonzalez
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, NIH, DHHS, 9609 Medical Center Drive, Room 7E548 MSC 9778, Bethesda, MD 20892-9778, United States of America
| | - Stephen J Chanock
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, NIH, DHHS, 9609 Medical Center Drive, Room 7E548 MSC 9778, Bethesda, MD 20892-9778, United States of America
| | - Vladimir Drozdovitch
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, NIH, DHHS, 9609 Medical Center Drive, Room 7E548 MSC 9778, Bethesda, MD 20892-9778, United States of America
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Zupunski L, Yaumenenka A, Ryzhov A, Veyalkin I, Drozdovitch V, Masiuk S, Ivanova O, Kesminiene A, Pukkala E, Moiseev P, Prysyazhnyuk A, Schüz J, Ostroumova E. Breast cancer incidence in the regions of Belarus and Ukraine most contaminated by the Chernobyl accident: 1978 to 2016. Int J Cancer 2021; 148:1839-1849. [PMID: 33064313 PMCID: PMC9426215 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.33346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2019] [Revised: 09/22/2020] [Accepted: 10/01/2020] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Even 30 years after the accident, an association between breast cancer incidence and ionizing radiation exposure from Chernobyl fallout remains uncertain. We studied breast cancer incidence in the most contaminated regions of Belarus (Gomel and Mogilev) and Ukraine (Kyiv, Zhytomyr and Chernihiv) before (1978-1986) and after (1987-2016) the accident. Breast cancer cases and female population size data were received from the national cancer registries and the state departments of statistics. The study included 85 132 breast cancers with 150 million person-years at risk. We estimated annual rayon (district)-average absorbed doses to the breast from external and internal irradiation of the adult female population over the period of 1986-2016. We studied an association between rayon-average cumulative absorbed breast dose with 5-year lag, that is, excluding the exposure in 5 years prior to breast cancer diagnosis, and breast cancer incidence using negative binomial regression models. Mean (median) cumulative breast dose in 2016 was 12.3 (5.0) milligray (mGy) in Belarus and 5.7 (2.3) mGy in Ukraine, with the maximum dose of 55 mGy and 54 mGy, respectively. Breast cancer incidence rates statistically significantly increased with calendar year and attained age, and were higher in urban than in rural residents. Adjusting for time, age and urbanicity effects, we found no evidence of increasing incidence with rayon-average 5-year lagged cumulative breast dose. Owing to ecological study design limitations, a case-control study covering this area with individually reconstructed absorbed breast doses is needed testing for association between low-dose protracted radiation exposure and breast cancer risk after Chernobyl.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ljubica Zupunski
- Section of Environment and Radiation, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France
| | - Alesia Yaumenenka
- Cancer Control Department, N.N. Alexandrov National Cancer Centre of Belarus, Minsk, Belarus
| | - Anton Ryzhov
- Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics, Department of General Mathematics, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Kyiv, Ukraine
- Department of Cancer Control with the National Cancer Registry of Ukraine, National Cancer Institute, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Ilya Veyalkin
- Epidemiology Laboratory, The Republican Research Centre for Radiation Medicine and Human Ecology, Gomel, Belarus
| | - Vladimir Drozdovitch
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, NIH, DHHS, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Sergii Masiuk
- Dosimetry and Radiation Hygiene Department, Health Physics and Epidemiology Institute, State Institution “National Research Center for Radiation Medicine of the National Academy of Medical Science of Ukraine”, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Olha Ivanova
- Dosimetry and Radiation Hygiene Department, Health Physics and Epidemiology Institute, State Institution “National Research Center for Radiation Medicine of the National Academy of Medical Science of Ukraine”, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Ausrele Kesminiene
- Section of Environment and Radiation, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France
| | - Eero Pukkala
- Finnish Cancer Registry—Institute for Statistical and Epidemiological Cancer Research, Helsinki, Finland
- Faculty of Social Sciences, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Pavel Moiseev
- Cancer Control Department, N.N. Alexandrov National Cancer Centre of Belarus, Minsk, Belarus
| | - Anatoly Prysyazhnyuk
- Epidemiology Department, Health Physics and Epidemiology Institute, State Institution “National Research Center for Radiation Medicine of the National Academy of Medical Science of Ukraine”, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Joachim Schüz
- Section of Environment and Radiation, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France
| | - Evgenia Ostroumova
- Section of Environment and Radiation, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France
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Wertelecki W. Chornobyl radiation-congenital anomalies: A persisting dilemma. Congenit Anom (Kyoto) 2021; 61:9-13. [PMID: 33405251 DOI: 10.1111/cga.12388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2020] [Revised: 07/07/2020] [Accepted: 07/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
We report population prevalence rates of neural tube defects (NDT) and microcephaly (MIC) as well as levels of incorporated Cs137 by pregnant women in two areas of the Rivne Province of Ukraine, a northern half (Polissia) polluted by Chornobyl radiation and not-Polissia areas. Monitoring of congenital malformations was conducted with adherence to methods adopted by a European surveillance network (EUROCAT). Incorporated Cs137 (Bq/kg) by pregnant women residing in the Polissia and not-Polissia areas were obtained concurrently with prenatal ultrasound examinations. In Polissia, the incorporated Cs137 levels by pregnant women as well as the prevalence rates of NDTs and MIC are significantly higher than in not-Polissia. In Polissia, the prevalence rates of NDTs and MIC are among the highest in Europe. The debate concerning the teratogenic impact of chronic exposures to low levels of ionizing radiation was re-ignited by our 2010 report. Health agencies uphold the notion that exposure to Chornobyl radiation levels are too low to be teratogenic, which is inconsistent with our observations. Further investigations in Rivne by international teams can, we believe, contribute facts to the ongoing debate. Our monitoring system, experience and data can facilitate concurrent investigations of teratogenic risks from exposures to other sources of ionizing radiation, alcohol, folate, and zinc deficiencies, among other risk factors. Study of genomic impacts can likewise be undertaken.
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External Radiation Dose, Obesity, and Risk of Childhood Thyroid Cancer After the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident: The Fukushima Health Management Survey. Epidemiology 2020; 30:853-860. [PMID: 31259849 DOI: 10.1097/ede.0000000000001058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake led to a nuclear accident at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. This study examines the associations of radiation dose and lifestyle factors with incidence of thyroid cancer in Fukushima. METHODS We designed a prospective study with 300,473 participants aged 18 years or younger, who underwent thyroid examinations from October 2011. Follow-up surveys were conducted through June 2017, and 245,530 participants (123,480 men and 122,050 women, 82% follow-up) received follow-up examinations. Fukushima Prefecture was divided into five areas based on individual external radiation dose. We calculated relative risks and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for thyroid cancer in each area, with area of lowest dose as reference, using age-adjusted Poisson regression models. We also calculated risks associated with overweight and obesity. RESULTS The incidence per 100,000 for Groups A (highest dose), B, C, D, and E (lowest dose) were 13.5, 19.2, 17.3, 9.0, and 8.3, respectively. Compared with Group E, the age-adjusted risks (95% CIs) were 1.62 (0.59, 4.47) for group A, 2.32 (0.86, 6.24) for group B, 2.21 (0.82, 5.94) for group C, and 1.02 (0.36, 2.86) for group D. Obesity was positively associated with thyroid cancer incidence; the multivariable-adjusted risk of thyroid cancer was 2.23 (1.01, 4.90) for obese individuals compared with nonobese individuals. CONCLUSION Regional differences in radiation dose were not associated with increased risk of thyroid cancer among children in Fukushima within 4 to 6 years after the nuclear power plant accident. Obesity may be an important factor for further follow-up in Fukushima.
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Drozdovitch V. Radiation Exposure to the Thyroid After the Chernobyl Accident. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2020; 11:569041. [PMID: 33469445 PMCID: PMC7813882 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2020.569041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2020] [Accepted: 11/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The Chernobyl accident resulted in a considerable release of radioactivity to the atmosphere, particularly of Iodine-131 (131I), with the greatest contamination occurring in Belarus, Ukraine, and western part of Russia. MATERIAL AND METHODS Increase in thyroid cancer and other thyroid diseases incidence in population exposed to Chernobyl fallout in these counties was the major health effect of the accident. Therefore, a lot of attention was paid to the thyroid doses, mainly, the 131I intake during two months after the accident. This paper reviews thyroid doses, both the individual for the subjects of radiation epidemiological studies and population-average doses. Exposure to 131I intake and other exposure pathways to population of affected regions and the Chernobyl cleanup workers (liquidators) are considered. RESULTS Individual thyroid doses due to 131I intake varied up to 42 Gy and depended on the age of the person, the region where a person was exposed, and their cow's milk consumption habits. Population-average thyroid doses among children of youngest age reached up to 0.75 Gy in the most contaminated area, the Gomel Oblast, in Belarus. Intake of 131I was the main pathway of exposure to the thyroid gland; its mean contribution to the thyroid dose in affected regions was more than 90%. The mean thyroid dose from inhalation of 131I for early Chernobyl cleanup workers was estimated to be 0.18 Gy. Individual thyroid doses due to different exposure pathways varied among 1,137 cleanup workers included in the epidemiological studies up to 9 Gy. Uncertainties associated with dose estimates, in terms of mean geometric standard deviation of individual stochastic doses, varied in range from 1.6 for doses based on individual-radiation measurements to 2.6 for "modelled" doses. CONCLUSION The 131I was the most radiologically important radionuclide that resulted in radiation exposure to the thyroid gland and cause an increase in the of rate of thyroid cancer and other thyroid diseases in population exposed after the Chernobyl accident.
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Chornobyl, radiation, neural tube defects, and microcephaly. Eur J Med Genet 2018; 61:556-563. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmg.2018.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2018] [Revised: 05/18/2018] [Accepted: 06/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Wertelecki W, Chambers CD, Yevtushok L, Zymak-Zakutnya N, Sosyniuk Z, Lapchenko S, Ievtushok B, Akhmedzhanova D, Komov O. Chornobyl 30 years later: Radiation, pregnancies, and developmental anomalies in Rivne, Ukraine. Eur J Med Genet 2017; 60:2-11. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmg.2016.09.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2016] [Accepted: 09/29/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Leppold C, Tsubokura M, Kanazawa Y. Parental wishes for continued internal radiation contamination screenings in Fukushima schoolchildren. JOURNAL OF RADIOLOGICAL PROTECTION : OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR RADIOLOGICAL PROTECTION 2016; 36:1008-1010. [PMID: 27893450 DOI: 10.1088/0952-4746/36/4/1008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Claire Leppold
- Department of Research, Minamisoma Municipal General Hospital, Minamisoma, Fukushima 975-0033, Japan
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Jelin BA, Sun W, Kravets A, Naboka M, Stepanova EI, Vdovenko VY, Karmaus WJ, Lichosherstov A, Svendsen ER. Quantifying annual internal effective 137Cesium dose utilizing direct body-burden measurement and ecological dose modeling. JOURNAL OF EXPOSURE SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENTAL EPIDEMIOLOGY 2016; 26:546-553. [PMID: 25757885 DOI: 10.1038/jes.2015.6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2014] [Revised: 12/19/2014] [Accepted: 12/27/2014] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (CNPP) accident represents one of the most significant civilian releases of 137Cesium (137Cs, radiocesium) in human history. In the Chernobyl-affected region, radiocesium is considered to be the greatest on-going environmental hazard to human health by radiobiologists and public health scientists. The goal of this study was to characterize dosimetric patterns and predictive factors for whole-body count (WBC)-derived radiocesium internal dose estimations in a CNPP-affected children's cohort, and cross-validate these estimations with a soil-based ecological dose estimation model. WBC data were used to estimate the internal effective dose using the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) 67 dose conversion coefficient for 137Cs and MONDAL Version 3.01 software. Geometric mean dose estimates from each model were compared utilizing paired t-tests and intra-class correlation coefficients. Additionally, we developed predictive models for WBC-derived dose estimation in order to determine the appropriateness of EMARC to estimate dose for this population. The two WBC-derived dose predictive models identified 137Cs soil concentration (P<0.0001) as the strongest predictor of annual internal effective dose from radiocesium validating the use of the soil-based EMARC model. The geometric mean internal effective dose estimate of the EMARC model (0.183 mSv/y) was the highest followed by the ICRP 67 dose estimates (0.165 mSv/y) and the MONDAL model estimates (0.149 mSv/y). All three models yielded significantly different geometric mean dose (P<0.05) estimates for this cohort when stratified by sex, age at time of exam and season of exam, except for the mean MONDAL and EMARC estimates for 15- and 16-year olds and mean ICRP and MONDAL estimates for children examined in Winter. Further prospective and retrospective radio-epidemiological studies utilizing refined WBC measurements and ecological model dose estimations, in conjunction with findings from animal toxicological studies, should help elucidate possible deterministic radiogenic health effects associated with chronic low-dose internal exposure to 137Cs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin A Jelin
- Department of Global Environmental Health Sciences: Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
| | - Wenjie Sun
- Department of Global Environmental Health Sciences: Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
| | - Alexandra Kravets
- Institue of Cell Biology and Genetic Engineering, National Academy of Sciences, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Maryna Naboka
- Radioecological Center, Ukrainian National Academy of Sciences, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Eugenia I Stepanova
- Research Center for Radiation Medicine, Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Vitaliy Y Vdovenko
- Research Center for Radiation Medicine, Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Wilfried J Karmaus
- Division of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
| | - Alex Lichosherstov
- Radioecological Center, Ukrainian National Academy of Sciences, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Erik R Svendsen
- Department of Global Environmental Health Sciences: Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
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13
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Drozdovitch V, Chumak V, Kesminiene A, Ostroumova E, Bouville A. Doses for post-Chernobyl epidemiological studies: are they reliable? JOURNAL OF RADIOLOGICAL PROTECTION : OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR RADIOLOGICAL PROTECTION 2016; 36:R36-R73. [PMID: 27355439 PMCID: PMC9426290 DOI: 10.1088/0952-4746/36/3/r36] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
On 26 April 2016, thirty years will have elapsed since the occurrence of the Chernobyl accident, which has so far been the most severe in the history of the nuclear reactor industry. Numerous epidemiological studies were conducted to evaluate the possible health consequences of the accident. Since the credibility of the association between the radiation exposure and health outcome is highly dependent on the adequacy of the dosimetric quantities used in these studies, this paper makes an effort to overview the methods used to estimate individual doses and the associated uncertainties in the main analytical epidemiological studies (i.e. cohort or case-control) related to the Chernobyl accident. Based on the thorough analysis and comparison with other radiation studies, the authors conclude that individual doses for the Chernobyl analytical epidemiological studies have been calculated with a relatively high degree of reliability and well-characterized uncertainties, and that they compare favorably with many other non-Chernobyl studies. The major strengths of the Chernobyl studies are: (1) they are grounded on a large number of measurements, either performed on humans or made in the environment; and (2) extensive effort has been invested to evaluate the uncertainties associated with the dose estimates. Nevertheless, gaps in the methodology are identified and suggestions for the possible improvement of the current dose estimates are made.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vladimir Drozdovitch
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Vadim Chumak
- National Research Centre for Radiation Medicine, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | | | | | - André Bouville
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
- Retired
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14
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Weiland N, Steiner DM, Grosche B. [Effects on health of the Chernobyl accident: 30 years on]. Bundesgesundheitsblatt Gesundheitsforschung Gesundheitsschutz 2016; 59:1171-7. [PMID: 27481124 DOI: 10.1007/s00103-016-2415-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
This paper reflects the current state of research into the short- and long-term effects on health in the former Soviet Union and Europe of the nuclear accident in Chernobyl. It discusses the latest results of epidemiological studies and presents future research perspectives.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Weiland
- Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz, Ingolstädter Landstraße 1, 85764, Neuherberg, Deutschland
| | - Dr M Steiner
- Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz, Ingolstädter Landstraße 1, 85764, Neuherberg, Deutschland
| | - B Grosche
- Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz, Ingolstädter Landstraße 1, 85764, Neuherberg, Deutschland.
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15
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Wertelecki W, Koerblein A, Ievtushok B, Zymak-Zakutnia N, Komov O, Kuznietsov I, Lapchenko S, Sosyniuk Z. Elevated congenital anomaly rates and incorporated cesium-137 in the Polissia region of Ukraine. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 106:194-200. [PMID: 26871487 DOI: 10.1002/bdra.23476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2015] [Accepted: 11/20/2015] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Investigations soon after the 1986 Chornobyl (Chernobyl in Russian) accident of exposed populations residing elsewhere in Europe led government and international agencies to conclude that exposures to cesium-137 (Cs-137) were not teratogenic. Our observations of elevated population rates of neural tube defects (NTDs) and microcephaly and microphthalmia (M/M) in the Rivne Province in Ukraine, which were among the highest in Europe, prompted this follow-up investigation inclusive of whole-body counts (WBCs) of Cs-137 among ambulatory patients and pregnant women residing in Polissia, the most polluted region in Rivne. METHODS Yearly (2000-2012) population rates of NTDs and M/M and WBC patterns of ambulatory patients (2001-2010) and pregnant women (2011-2013) in Polissia and non-Polissia regions of Rivne were analyzed. RESULTS The NTD and M/M population rates in Rivne remain elevated and are statistically significantly higher in Polissia than in non-Polissia. The WBCs among residents in Polissia are statistically significantly higher than among those from non-Polissia. CONCLUSION NTD and M/M rates are highest in the Polissia region of Rivne and are among the highest in Europe. In Polissia, the WBCs of Cs-137 are above officially set permissible upper limits. The results are based on aggregate data of NTDs and M/Ms and average WBC values. Further investigations of causality of the high rates of NTDs and M/Ms are needed and urgent strengthening policies and implementations to reduce exposures to teratogens, in particular radioactive nuclides and alcohol, and consumption of folic acid supplements are indicated.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Alfred Koerblein
- OMNI-Net for Children International Charitable Fund, Rivne, Ukraine
| | - Bogdana Ievtushok
- OMNI-Net for Children International Charitable Fund, Rivne, Ukraine.,Rivne Province Regional Medical Diagnostic Center, Rivne, Ukraine
| | - Nataliya Zymak-Zakutnia
- OMNI-Net for Children International Charitable Fund, Rivne, Ukraine.,Khmelnytsky City Perinatal Center, Khmelnytsky, Ukraine
| | - Oleksandr Komov
- Rivne Province State Sanitary-and-Epidemiologic Service, Rivne, Ukraine
| | - Illia Kuznietsov
- OMNI-Net for Children International Charitable Fund, Rivne, Ukraine.,Human and Animal Physiology Department, Eastern-European University, Lutsk, Volyn, Ukraine
| | - Serhiy Lapchenko
- OMNI-Net for Children International Charitable Fund, Rivne, Ukraine
| | - Zoriana Sosyniuk
- OMNI-Net for Children International Charitable Fund, Rivne, Ukraine.,Rivne Province Regional Medical Diagnostic Center, Rivne, Ukraine
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16
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McMahon DM, Vdovenko VY, Stepanova YI, Karmaus W, Zhang H, Irving E, Svendsen ER. Dietary supplementation with radionuclide free food improves children's health following community exposure to (137)Cesium: a prospective study. Environ Health 2015; 14:94. [PMID: 26689948 PMCID: PMC4687105 DOI: 10.1186/s12940-015-0084-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2015] [Accepted: 12/11/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Following the Chernobyl nuclear disaster of 1986, vast areas of Ukraine became contaminated with radionuclides. We examined health effects of school-based food intervention for children in a rural region Narodichi, Ukraine, exposed to low-level radiation through diet of locally produced foods. Until 1995, children received three daily meals with low content of artificial radionuclides which were subsequently reduced to two. METHODS Annual health screening data (1993-1998) were examined using a quasi-experimental regression discontinuity analysis (n = 947 children; 3,573 repeated measurements). Generalized Estimating Equation models evaluated effect of the food supplementation reduction on hematologic measures and prevalence of anemia, acute respiratory illnesses and diseases of immune system. RESULTS Prior improvement of several hematologic parameters diminished after food supplementation was reduced. From 1995 to 1996, levels of hemoglobin and erythrocytes decreased from 12.63 (95% CI: 12.56-12.71) to 12.46 g/dL (% CI: 12.39-12.52) and from 4.10 (95% CI: 4.07-4.12) to 4.02 (95% CI: 4.00-4.04) × 10(12)/L, respectively. In agreement, the prevalence ratio (PR) of previously declining anemia increased from 0.57 to 1.31 per year (p(interaction )< .0001). The relation between food supplementation and hemoglobin levels was modified by residential (137)Cs soil levels. After food supply reduction, PR of common cold and bronchitis increased from 1.27 to 2.32 per year (p(interaction) = 0.01) and from 1.09 to 1.24 per year (p(interaction) = 0.43), respectively. CONCLUSIONS Food supplementation provided by the Ukrainian government likely prevented development of anemia in many of the children residing in the contaminated district. Food supplementation after the community exposure to radioactivity through a diet of locally grown foods should be considered as an effective approach to reduce adverse health effects of radiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daria M McMahon
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, 915 Greene Street, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA.
| | - Vitaliy Y Vdovenko
- Research Center for Radiation Medicine, Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, 53 Melnikova St., Kiev, 04050, Ukraine.
| | - Yevgenia I Stepanova
- Research Center for Radiation Medicine, Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, 53 Melnikova St., Kiev, 04050, Ukraine.
| | - Wilfried Karmaus
- Division of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Environmental Health Science, School of Public Health University of Memphis, 301 Robison Hall, Memphis, TN, 38152, USA.
| | - Hongmei Zhang
- Division of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Environmental Health Science, School of Public Health University of Memphis, 301 Robison Hall, Memphis, TN, 38152, USA.
| | - Euridice Irving
- Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, 1440 Canal Street, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA.
| | - Erik R Svendsen
- Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, 1440 Canal Street, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA.
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, 135 Cannon Street, Suite 303, Charleston, South Carolina, 29425, USA.
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17
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Tsubokura M, Kato S, Morita T, Nomura S, Kami M, Sakaihara K, Hanai T, Oikawa T, Kanazawa Y. Assessment of the Annual Additional Effective Doses amongst Minamisoma Children during the Second Year after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Disaster. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0129114. [PMID: 26053271 PMCID: PMC4460119 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0129114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2015] [Accepted: 05/05/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
An assessment of the external and internal radiation exposure levels, which includes calculation of effective doses from chronic radiation exposure and assessment of long-term radiation-related health risks, has become mandatory for residents living near the nuclear power plant in Fukushima, Japan. Data for all primary and secondary children in Minamisoma who participated in both external and internal screening programs were employed to assess the annual additional effective dose acquired due to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster. In total, 881 children took part in both internal and external radiation exposure screening programs between 1st April 2012 to 31st March 2013. The level of additional effective doses ranged from 0.025 to 3.49 mSv/year with the median of 0.70 mSv/year. While 99.7% of the children (n = 878) were not detected with internal contamination, 90.3% of the additional effective doses was the result of external radiation exposure. This finding is relatively consistent with the doses estimated by the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR). The present study showed that the level of annual additional effective doses among children in Minamisoma has been low, even after the inter-individual differences were taken into account. The dose from internal radiation exposure was negligible presumably due to the success of contaminated food control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masaharu Tsubokura
- Division of Social Communication System for Advanced Clinical Research, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Radiation Protection, Minamisoma Municipal General Hospital, Minamisoma, Fukushima, Japan
- Department of Radiation Protection, Soma Central Hospital, Soma, Fukushima, Japan
- * E-mail:
| | - Shigeaki Kato
- Department of Radiation Protection, Soma Central Hospital, Soma, Fukushima, Japan
| | - Tomohiro Morita
- Department of Radiation Protection, Soma Central Hospital, Soma, Fukushima, Japan
| | - Shuhei Nomura
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, Norfolk Place, London, United Kingdom
| | - Masahiro Kami
- Division of Social Communication System for Advanced Clinical Research, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kikugoro Sakaihara
- Department of Radiation Protection, Minamisoma Municipal General Hospital, Minamisoma, Fukushima, Japan
| | - Tatsuo Hanai
- Department of Radiation Protection, Minamisoma Municipal General Hospital, Minamisoma, Fukushima, Japan
| | - Tomoyoshi Oikawa
- Department of Radiation Protection, Minamisoma Municipal General Hospital, Minamisoma, Fukushima, Japan
| | - Yukio Kanazawa
- Department of Radiation Protection, Minamisoma Municipal General Hospital, Minamisoma, Fukushima, Japan
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18
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Tsubokura M, Kato S, Nomura S, Morita T, Sugimoto A, Gilmour S, Kami M, Oikawa T, Kanazawa Y. Absence of internal radiation contamination by radioactive cesium among children affected by the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster. HEALTH PHYSICS 2015; 108:39-43. [PMID: 25437518 DOI: 10.1097/hp.0000000000000167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Chronic internal radiation contamination accounts for a substantial fraction of long-term cumulative radiation exposure among residents in radiation-contaminated areas. However, little information is available on ongoing chronic internal radiation contamination among residents near the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Using a whole body counter, internal radiation contamination levels among elementary and middle school students who commute to 22 schools located within Minamisoma city were assessed between May and July 2013 (26 to 28 mo after the disaster). Of 3,299 elementary and middle school students in the city, 3,255 individuals (98%) were screened through school health check-ups. Not a single student was detected with internal radiation contamination due to radioactive cesium. The study found no risk of chronic internal radiation exposure among residents near the crippled nuclear power plant. Current food inspection by local governments, volunteers, and farmers has been functioning well within Fukushima prefecture. However, food management by screening suspected contamination along with whole body counter screening are key public health interventions and should be continued to avoid further internal radiation exposure in radiation-contaminated areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masaharu Tsubokura
- *Division of Social Communication System for Advanced Clinical Research, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan; †Department of Radiation Protection, Minamisoma Municipal General Hospital, Minamisoma, Fukushima, Japan; ‡Department of Radiation Protection, Soma Central Hospital, Soma, Fukushima, Japan; §Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, Norfolk Place, London, United Kingdom; **Department of Health Services Research and Policy, Faculty of public health and policy, London school of hygiene and tropical medicine, London, United Kingdom; and ††Department of Global Health Policy, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
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19
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Wertelecki W, Yevtushok L, Zymak-Zakutnia N, Wang B, Sosyniuk Z, Lapchenko S, Hobart HH. Blastopathies and microcephaly in a Chornobyl impacted region of Ukraine. Congenit Anom (Kyoto) 2014; 54:125-49. [PMID: 24666273 PMCID: PMC4233949 DOI: 10.1111/cga.12051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2013] [Accepted: 01/05/2014] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
This population-based descriptive epidemiology study demonstrates that rates of conjoined twins, teratomas, neural tube defects, microcephaly, and microphthalmia in the Rivne province of Ukraine are among the highest in Europe. The province is 200 km distant from the Chornobyl site and its northern half, a region known as Polissia, is significantly polluted by ionizing radiation. The rates of neural tube defects, microcephaly and microphthalmia in Polissia are statistically significantly higher than in the rest of the province. A survey of at-birth head size showed that values were statistically smaller in males and females born in one Polissia county than among neonates born in the capital city. These observations provide clues for confirmatory and cause-effect prospective investigations. The strength of this study stems from a reliance on international standards prevalent in Europe and a decade-long population-based surveillance of congenital malformations in two distinct large populations. The limitations of this study, as those of other descriptive epidemiology investigations, is that identified cause-effect associations require further assessment by specific prospective investigations designed to address specific teratogenic factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wladimir Wertelecki
- Department of Medical Genetics, College of Medicine, University of South AlabamaMobile, Alabama, USA
- OMNI-Net for Children International Charitable FundRivne, Rivne Province, Ukraine
| | - Lyubov Yevtushok
- OMNI-Net for Children International Charitable FundRivne, Rivne Province, Ukraine
- Rivne Regional Medical Diagnostic CenterRivne, Rivne Province, Ukraine
| | - Natalia Zymak-Zakutnia
- OMNI-Net for Children International Charitable FundRivne, Rivne Province, Ukraine
- Khmelnytsky Perinatal CenterKhmelnytsky, Khmelnytsky Province, Ukraine
| | - Bin Wang
- Department of Mathematics and Statisitcs, University of South AlabamaMobile, Alabama, USA
| | - Zoriana Sosyniuk
- OMNI-Net for Children International Charitable FundRivne, Rivne Province, Ukraine
- Rivne Regional Medical Diagnostic CenterRivne, Rivne Province, Ukraine
| | - Serhiy Lapchenko
- OMNI-Net for Children International Charitable FundRivne, Rivne Province, Ukraine
| | - Holly H Hobart
- Cyto-Genetics Laboratory, Department of Pathology, University of Mississippi Medical CenterJackson, Mississippi, USA
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20
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Tsubokura M, Kato S, Nomura S, Gilmour S, Nihei M, Sakuma Y, Oikawa T, Kanazawa Y, Kami M, Hayano R. Reduction of high levels of internal radio-contamination by dietary intervention in residents of areas affected by the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant disaster: a case series. PLoS One 2014; 9:e100302. [PMID: 24932486 PMCID: PMC4059713 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0100302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2014] [Accepted: 05/25/2014] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Maintaining low levels of chronic internal contamination among residents in radiation-contaminated areas after a nuclear disaster is a great public health concern. However, the efficacy of reduction measures for individual internal contamination remains unknown. To reduce high levels of internal radiation exposure in a group of individuals exposed through environmental sources, we performed careful dietary intervention with identification of suspected contaminated foods, as part of mass voluntary radiation contamination screenings and counseling program in Minamisoma Municipal General Hospital and Hirata Central Hospital. From a total of 30,622 study participants, only 9 residents displayed internal cesium-137 (Cs-137) levels of more than 50 Bq/kg. The median level of internal Cs-137 contamination in these residents at the initial screening was 4,830 Bq/body (range: 2,130–15,918 Bq/body) and 69.6 Bq/kg (range: 50.7–216.3 Bq/kg). All these residents with high levels of internal contamination consumed homegrown produce without radiation inspection, and often collected mushrooms in the wild or cultivated them on bed-logs in their homes. They were advised to consume distributed food mainly and to refrain from consuming potentially contaminated foods without radiation inspection and local produces under shipment restrictions such as mushrooms, mountain vegetables, and meat of wild life. A few months after the intervention, re-examination of Cs levels revealed remarkable reduction of internal contamination in all residents. Although the levels of internal radiation exposure appear to be minimal amongst most residents in Fukushima, a subset of the population, who unknowingly consumed highly contaminated foodstuffs, experienced high levels of internal contamination. There seem to be similarities in dietary preferences amongst residents with high internal contamination levels, and intervention based on pre- and post-test counseling and dietary advice from medical care providers about risky food intake appears to be a feasible option for changing residents' dietary practices, subsequently resulting in a reduction in Cs internal contamination levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masaharu Tsubokura
- Division of Social Communication System for Advanced Clinical Research, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
- * E-mail:
| | - Shigeaki Kato
- Department of Radiation Protection, Soma Central Hospital, Soma, Fukushima, Japan
| | - Shuhei Nomura
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, Norfolk Place, London, United Kingdom
| | - Stuart Gilmour
- Department of Global Health Policy, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Masahiko Nihei
- Hirata Radioactivity Inspection Center, Hirata Central Hospital, Hirata, Fukushima, Japan
| | - Yu Sakuma
- Hirata Radioactivity Inspection Center, Hirata Central Hospital, Hirata, Fukushima, Japan
| | - Tomoyoshi Oikawa
- Department of Radiation Protection, Minamisoma Municipal General Hospital, Minamisoma, Fukushima, Japan
| | - Yukio Kanazawa
- Department of Radiation Protection, Minamisoma Municipal General Hospital, Minamisoma, Fukushima, Japan
| | - Masahiro Kami
- Division of Social Communication System for Advanced Clinical Research, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Ryugo Hayano
- Department of Physics, University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
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21
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Tsubokura M, Kato S, Nihei M, Sakuma Y, Furutani T, Uehara K, Sugimoto A, Nomura S, Hayano R, Kami M, Watanobe H, Endo Y. Limited internal radiation exposure associated with resettlements to a radiation-contaminated homeland after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. PLoS One 2013; 8:e81909. [PMID: 24312602 PMCID: PMC3846705 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0081909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2013] [Accepted: 10/17/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Resettlement to their radiation-contaminated hometown could be an option for people displaced at the time of a nuclear disaster; however, little information is available on the safety implications of these resettlement programs. Kawauchi village, located 12-30 km southwest of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, was one of the 11 municipalities where mandatory evacuation was ordered by the central government. This village was also the first municipality to organize the return of the villagers. To assess the validity of the Kawauchi villagers' resettlement program, the levels of internal Cesium (Cs) exposures were comparatively measured in returnees, commuters, and non-returnees among the Kawauchi villagers using a whole body counter. Of 149 individuals, 5 villagers had traceable levels of Cs exposure; the median detected level was 333 Bq/body (range, 309-1050 Bq/kg), and 5.3 Bq/kg (range, 5.1-18.2 Bq/kg). Median annual effective doses of villagers with traceable Cs were 1.1 x 10(-2) mSv/y (range, 1.0 x 10(-2)-4.1 x 10(-2) mSv/y). Although returnees had higher chances of consuming locally produced vegetables, Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel test showed that their level of internal radiation exposure was not significantly higher than that in the other 2 groups (p=0.643). The present findings in Kawauchi village imply that it is possible to maintain internal radiation exposure at very low levels even in a highly radiation-contaminated region at the time of a nuclear disaster. Moreover, the risks for internal radiation exposure could be limited with a strict food control intervention after resettlement to the radiation-contaminated village. It is crucial to establish an adequate number of radio-contaminated testing sites within the village, to provide immediate test result feedback to the villagers, and to provide education regarding the importance of re-testing in reducing the risk of high internal radiation exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masaharu Tsubokura
- Division of Social Communication System for Advanced Clinical Research, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Radiation Protection, Soma Central Hospital, Soma, Fukushima, Japan
- Hirata Radioactivity Inspection Center, Hirata Central Hospital, Hirata, Fukushima, Japan
| | - Shigeaki Kato
- Department of Radiation Protection, Soma Central Hospital, Soma, Fukushima, Japan
| | - Masahiko Nihei
- Hirata Radioactivity Inspection Center, Hirata Central Hospital, Hirata, Fukushima, Japan
| | - Yu Sakuma
- Hirata Radioactivity Inspection Center, Hirata Central Hospital, Hirata, Fukushima, Japan
| | - Tomoyuki Furutani
- Faculty of Policy Management, Keio University, Fujisawa, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Keisuke Uehara
- Faculty of Environment and Information Studies, Keio University, Fujisawa, Kanazawa, Japan
| | - Amina Sugimoto
- Department of Global Health Policy, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shuhei Nomura
- Department of Global Health Policy, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Ryugo Hayano
- Department of Physics, University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Masahiro Kami
- Division of Social Communication System for Advanced Clinical Research, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hajime Watanobe
- Hirata Radioactivity Inspection Center, Hirata Central Hospital, Hirata, Fukushima, Japan
| | - Yukou Endo
- Kawauchi Village Mayor, Kawauchi Municipal Government, Kawauchi, Fukushima, Japan
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Dubrova YE. Reply to the letter by S.V. Jargin. MUTATION RESEARCH/GENETIC TOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MUTAGENESIS 2012. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mrgentox.2012.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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23
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Dancause KN, Yevtushok L, Lapchenko S, Shumlyansky I, Shevchenko G, Wertelecki W, Garruto RM. Chronic radiation exposure in the Rivne-Polissia region of Ukraine: Implications for birth defects. Am J Hum Biol 2010; 22:667-74. [DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.21063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
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24
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Noshchenko AG, Bondar OY, Drozdova VD. Radiation-induced leukemia among children aged 0-5 years at the time of the Chernobyl accident. Int J Cancer 2010; 127:412-26. [PMID: 19688829 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.24834] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
This case-control study was conducted to estimate the radiation-induced risk of acute leukemia during the period from 1987 to 1997 among residents 0-5 years of age at the time of the Chernobyl accident in the most radioactively contaminated territories of the Ukraine (Rivno, Zhytomyr, Chernihiv and Cherkasy regions). Data were collected from 246 leukemia cases diagnosed between 1 January, 1987, and 31 December, 1997. Each case was verified and interviewed. Verified cases were compared to 492 randomly selected controls matched by age, sex, type of settlement (rural, semirural and urban) and administrative region of residency. The cumulative level of radiation exposure from the time of the Chernobyl accident to the date of diagnosis was assessed for each case and corresponding controls. Four dose-range groups were selected for statistical analysis (0-2.9, 3-9.9, 10-99.9 and 100-313.3 mGy). The risk of leukemia was significantly increased (-2.4 [95%CI: 1.4-4.0]) among those with radiation exposure doses higher than 10 mGy (p = 0.01). The association between radiation exposure and risk was stronger among males (-2.8 [95%CI: 1.4-5.5, p = 0.01]), and for cases of acute leukemia that were diagnosed during the period from 1987 to 1992 (-2.5 [95%CI: 1.2-5.1, p = 0.05]), particularly acute myeloid leukemia (-5.8 [95%CI: 1.4-24.6, p = 0.05]). The influence of possible confounders and methods of selecting controls on the leukemia risk assessment was analyzed. The evaluated risk per unit dose is discussed.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE One of the populations most exposed to chronic low-dose radiation from Chornobyl (Chernobyl in Russian) lives in Polissia, the region representing the northern half of Rivne Province (Oblast) in Ukraine. Here the patterns and population rates of malformations are reported and possible etiologic factors and regional contrasts are explored. PATIENTS AND METHODS Malformations, as defined by international standards, noted among all 96 438 births in Rivne between 2000 and 2006, were analyzed statistically. Contrasts of rates in Polissia compared with the rest of Rivne also were investigated. RESULTS The overall rate of neural tube defects in Rivne is among the highest in Europe (22.2 per 10,000 live births). The rates of conjoined twins and teratomas also seem to be elevated. In Polissia, the overall rates of neural tube defects are even higher (27.0 vs 18.3, respectively; odds ratio: 1.46 [95% confidence interval: 1.13-1.93]), and the rates of microcephaly and microphthalmia may also be elevated. CONCLUSIONS The malformation patterns observed suggest early disruptions of blastogenesis, manifesting as alterations of body axes, twinning, duplications, laterality, and midline formation. The results are sufficiently compelling to justify continuing and expanding this investigation of malformations in chronic low-dose radiation-impacted regions of Ukraine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wladimir Wertelecki
- Medical Genetics and Pediatrics, University of South Alabama, Technology Research Park IV, Suite 220, 307 University Blvd N, Mobile, AL 36688, USA.
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26
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Kravets AP, Pavlenko YA. Reconstruction and forecast of doses due to ingestion of 137Cs and 90Sr after the Chernobyl accident. RADIATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL BIOPHYSICS 2008; 47:213-223. [PMID: 18273632 DOI: 10.1007/s00411-008-0156-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2007] [Accepted: 01/03/2008] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
The assessment doses due to ingestion of (137)Cs and (90)Sr for the population suffering from the Chernobyl accident was performed on the basis of the new mechanistic ecological model for assessment of radiological consequences of agricultural lands contamination (EMARC). The EMARC model allows estimation of internal doses based on ecological factors influencing the contamination of foodstuff, for the post-accidental years in the countries of the former Soviet Union. The EMARC model allows estimation of all quantities required in radiation hygiene practice. For example, the proposed analytical method may be used for both retrospective dose reconstruction and prospective estimates of annual dose and integrated "life-time" dose, for different age intervals. According to the EMARC model, estimated reference "life-time" doses for adults are between 7 and 269 microSv kBq(-1) m(2) for (137)Cs, and between 25 and 235 microSv kBq(-1) m(2) for (90)Sr. Maximal doses were estimated for persons who were 3, 9 and 11 years old, at the time of the accident and these doses exceed those for adults by a factors of 1, 5 for (90)Sr, and 1.4 for (137)Cs.
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Affiliation(s)
- A P Kravets
- National Academy of Science of Ukraine, Department of Radiobiology, Institute of Cell Biology and Genetic Engineering, Vasilcovskaya st. 31/17, Kiev 03022, Ukraine.
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Drozdovitch V, Bouville A, Chobanova N, Filistovic V, Ilus T, Kovacic M, Malátová I, Moser M, Nedveckaite T, Völkle H, Cardis E. Radiation exposure to the population of Europe following the Chernobyl accident. RADIATION PROTECTION DOSIMETRY 2007; 123:515-28. [PMID: 17229780 DOI: 10.1093/rpd/ncl528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Chernobyl accident an attempt has been made to evaluate the impact of the Chernobyl accident on the global burden of human cancer in Europe. This required the estimation of radiation doses in each of the 40 European countries. Dose estimation was based on the analysis and compilation of data either published in the scientific literature or provided by local experts. Considerable variability has been observed in exposure levels among the European populations. The average individual doses to the thyroid from the intake of (131)I for children aged 1 y were found to vary from approximately 0.01 mGy in Portugal up to 750 mGy in Gomel Oblast (Belarus). Thyroid doses to adults were consistently lower than the doses received by young children. The average individual effective doses from external exposure and ingestion of long-lived radiocaesium accrued in the period 1986-2005 varied from approximately 0 in Portugal to approximately 10 mSv in Gomel Oblast (Belarus) and Bryansk Oblast (Russia). The uncertainties in the dose estimates were subjectively estimated on the basis of the availability and reliability of the radiation data that were used for dose reconstruction in each country.
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Affiliation(s)
- V Drozdovitch
- International Agency for Research on Cancer, 150 cours Albert-Thomas, 69372 Lyon Cedex 08, France.
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Pukkala E, Kesminiene A, Poliakov S, Ryzhov A, Drozdovitch V, Kovgan L, Kyyrönen P, Malakhova IV, Gulak L, Cardis E. Breast cancer in Belarus and Ukraine after the Chernobyl accident. Int J Cancer 2006; 119:651-8. [PMID: 16506213 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.21885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
An increase in breast cancer incidence has been reported in areas of Belarus and Ukraine contaminated by the Chernobyl accident and has become an issue of public concern. The authors carried out an ecological epidemiological study to describe the spatial and temporal trends in breast cancer incidence in the most contaminated regions of Belarus and Ukraine, and to evaluate whether increases seen since 1986 correlate to radiation exposure from the Chernobyl accident. The authors investigated the trends through age-cohort-period-region analyses of district-specific incidence rates of breast cancer for Gomel and Mogilev regions of Belarus and Chernigiv, Kyiv and Zhytomir regions of Ukraine. Dose-response analyses were based on Poisson regression, using average district-specific whole body doses accumulated since the accident from external exposure and ingestion of long-lived radionuclides. The study demonstrated increases in breast cancer incidence in all areas following the Chernobyl accident, reflecting improvements in cancer diagnosis and registration. In addition, a significant 2-fold increase in risk was observed, during the period 1997-2001, in the most contaminated districts (average cumulative dose of 40.0 mSv or more) compared with the least contaminated districts (relative risk [RR] in Belarus 2.24, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.51-3.32 and in Ukraine 1.78, 95% CI=1.08-2.93). The increase, though based on a relatively small number of cases, appeared approximately 10 years after the accident, was highest among women who were younger at the time of exposure and was observed for both localised and metastatic diseases. It is unlikely that this excess could be entirely due to the increased diagnostic activity in these areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eero Pukkala
- Finnish Cancer Registry, Institute for Statistical and Epidemiological Cancer Research, Helsinki, Finland
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29
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Minenko VF, Ulanovsky AV, Drozdovitch VV, Shemiakina EV, Gavrilin YI, Khrouch VT, Shinkarev SM, Voillequé PG, Bouville A, Anspaugh LR, Luckyanov N. Individual thyroid dose estimates for a case-control study of chernobyl-related thyroid cancer among children of Belarus--part II. Contributions from long-lived radionuclides and external radiation. HEALTH PHYSICS 2006; 90:312-27. [PMID: 16538137 DOI: 10.1097/01.hp.0000183761.30158.c1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Significant quantities of long-lived radionuclides were released to the environment during the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident in 1986. These radionuclides contributed to radiation doses due to ingestion of contaminated foods and external exposure from the ground deposition that resulted. The contributions of these exposure pathways to thyroid doses received by subjects of an epidemiologic study of children from Belarus are evaluated and presented. The analysis shows that ingestion of the long-lived radionuclides, primarily radiocesium, typically contributed a small percentage of the total thyroid dose received by the study subjects. The median and mean fractional contributions were 0.76 and 0.95%, respectively. The contribution of external exposure to the thyroid dose was generally larger and more variable, with median and mean contributions of 1.2 and 1.8% of the total thyroid doses, respectively. For regions close to the reactor site, where radionuclide deposition was highest, the contributions of radiocesium ingestion and external exposure were generally lower than those of the short-lived radioiodine isotopes (132I and 133I) and their precursors (132Te). In other areas, the contributions of these two pathways were comparable to those of the short-lived radioiodines. For all subjects, intakes of 131I were the primary source of dose to the thyroid.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor F Minenko
- Belarusian Academy of Post-Graduate Education, Ministry of Health, 3 P. Brovki Street, 220714, Minsk, Belarus
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Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS Computed tomography colonography (CTC), particularly using noncathartic techniques, has the clear potential to increase compliance for colorectal cancer screening. Because the geometry for CTC is highly advantageous, it can be performed with lower radiation doses than almost any other CT examination. If CTC were to become a standard screening tool for the population age 50 years and older, the potential market in the United States would soon be over 100 million people. Therefore, it is pertinent to consider the radiation exposure and any potential radiation risk to the population from such a mass CTC screening program. METHODS Organ doses from CTC examinations can be estimated with standard techniques. These doses can be applied to organ- and dose-specific radiation cancer risk estimates to estimate the excess cancer risk resulting from the radiation from a paired (supine and prone) CTC examination. RESULTS The cancer risks associated with the radiation exposure from CTC are unlikely to be zero, but they are small. A best estimate for the absolute lifetime cancer risk associated with the radiation exposure using typical current scanner techniques is about 0.14% for paired CTC scans for a 50-year-old, and about half that for a 70-year-old. These values probably could be reduced by factors of 5 or 10 with optimized CTC protocols. CONCLUSIONS In terms of the radiation exposure, the benefit-risk ratio potentially is large for CTC.
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Affiliation(s)
- David J Brenner
- Center for Radiological Research, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York 10032, USA.
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Dubrova YE, Grant G, Chumak AA, Stezhka VA, Karakasian AN. Elevated minisatellite mutation rate in the post-chernobyl families from ukraine. Am J Hum Genet 2002; 71:801-9. [PMID: 12226793 PMCID: PMC378537 DOI: 10.1086/342729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2002] [Accepted: 07/02/2002] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Germline mutation at eight human minisatellite loci has been studied among families from rural areas of the Kiev and Zhitomir regions of Ukraine, which were heavily contaminated by radionuclides after the Chernobyl accident. The control and exposed groups were composed of families containing children conceived before and after the Chernobyl accident, respectively. The groups were matched by ethnicity, maternal age, parental occupation, and smoking habits, and they differed only slightly by paternal age. A statistically significant 1.6-fold increase in mutation rate was found in the germline of exposed fathers, whereas the maternal germline mutation rate in the exposed families was not elevated. These data, together with the results of our previous analysis of the exposed families from Belarus, suggest that the elevated minisatellite mutation rate can be attributed to post-Chernobyl radioactive exposure. The mechanisms of mutation induction at human minisatellite loci are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuri E Dubrova
- Department of Genetics, University of Leicester, United Kingdom.
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32
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Noshchenko AG, Zamostyan PV, Bondar OY, Drozdova VD. Radiation-induced leukemia risk among those aged 0-20 at the time of the Chernobyl accident: a case-control study in the Ukraine. Int J Cancer 2002; 99:609-18. [PMID: 11992554 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.10406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
A case-control study was conducted to estimate the radiation-induced acute leukemia risk for the period 1987-1997 among residents aged 0-20 at the time of the Chernobyl accident in the most radioactively contaminated territories of the Ukraine (Rivno and Zhytomir regions). Data were collected on 272 leukemia cases diagnosed between 1 January 1987 and 31 December 1997. Of these, 98 cases were verified and interviewed. Verified cases were compared to 151 randomly selected controls matched by age, gender and type of settlement. The mean value of the estimated accumulated equivalent dose to the bone marrow was 4.5 mSv, and the maximum value was 101 mSv. A statistically significant increased risk of leukemia was found among males whose estimated radiation exposure was higher than 10 mSv. This association was statistically significant for acute leukemia cases that occurred in the period 1993-1997, particularly for acute lymphoblastic leukemia. A similar association was found for acute myeloid leukemia, diagnosed in the period 1987-1992.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andriy G Noshchenko
- Department of Environmental Sciences, National University Kiev-Mohyla Academy, Kiev, Ukraine.
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Likhtarev IA, Kovgan LN, Jacob P, Anspaugh LR. Chernobyl accident: retrospective and prospective estimates of external dose of the population of Ukraine. HEALTH PHYSICS 2002; 82:290-303. [PMID: 11845832 DOI: 10.1097/00004032-200203000-00002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Following the Chernobyl accident many activities were conducted in Ukraine in order to define the radiological impact. Considered here are gamma spectrometric analyses of soil-depth-profile samples taken in the years 1988-1999, gamma spectrometric measurements of radionuclide concentration in soil samples taken in 1986, and measurements of external gamma-exposure rate in air. These data are analyzed in this paper to derive a "reference" radionuclide composition and an attenuation function for the time-dependent rate of external gamma exposure that changes due to the migration of radiocesium into the soil column. An attenuation function for cesium is derived that consists of two exponential functions with half lives of 1.5 and 50 y. The dependencies of attenuation on direction and distance from the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant are also demonstrated. On the basis of these analyses the average individual and collective external gamma doses for the population of Ukraine are derived for 1986, 1986-2000, and 1986-2055. For the 1.4 million persons living in rural areas with 137Cs contamination of >37 kBq m(-2), the collective effective dose from external exposure is estimated to be 7,500 person-Sv by the end of 2000. A critical group of 22,500 persons who received individual doses of >20 mSv is identified for consideration of increased social and medical attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilya A Likhtarev
- Radiation Protection Institute, Ukrainian Academy of Technological Sciences, Kyiv.
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Jacob P, Fesenko S, Firsakova SK, Likhtarev IA, Schotola C, Alexakhin RM, Zhuchenko YM, Kovgan L, Sanzharova NI, Ageyets V. Remediation strategies for rural territories contaminated by the Chernobyl accident. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2001; 56:51-76. [PMID: 11446123 DOI: 10.1016/s0265-931x(01)00047-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
The objective of the present paper is to derive remediation strategies for rural settlements contaminated by the Chernobyl accident in which annual doses to a critical group still exceed 1 mSv. Extensive radioecological data have been collected for 70 contaminated settlements. A dose model based on these data resulted in estimates that are on average close to and a bit less than the official dose estimates ('catalogue doses') published by the responsible Ministries of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. For eight remedial actions that can be applied on a large scale, effectiveness and costs have been assessed in light of their dependence on soil type, contamination level and on the degree of previous application of remedial actions. Remediation strategies were derived for each of the 70 settlements by choosing remedial actions with lowest costs per averted dose and with highest degree of acceptability among the farmers and local authorities until annual doses are assessed to fall below 1 mSv. The results were generalised to 11 contamination/internal-dose categories. The total numbers of rural inhabitants and privately owned cows in the three countries distributed over the categories were determined and predicted until the year 2015. Based on these data, costs and averted doses were derived for the whole affected population. The main results are (i) about 2000 Sv can be averted at relatively low costs, (ii) the emphasis on reducing external exposures should be increased, (iii) radical improvement of hay-land and meadows and application of Prussian blue to cows should be performed on a large scale if annual doses of 1 mSv are an aim to be achieved, (iv) additional remedial actions of importance are fertilising of potato fields, distribution of food monitors and restriction of mushroom consumption, and (v) for inhabitants of some settlements (in total about 8600) annual doses cannot be reduced below 1 mSv by the remedial actions considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Jacob
- GSF-Institute of Radiation Protection, D-85764 Neuherberg, Germany.
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