Chernobyl Studies Offer Perspective on Radiation Risks

[jpak]

http://www.ucsf.edu/news/2011/03/9556/chernobyl-studies-offer-perspective-radiation-risks

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The incidence of thyroid cancer due to release of the short-lived radioactive isotope iodine-131 rose as a result of the Chernobyl accident. Zablotska and her colleagues from the Radiation Epidemiology Branch of the National Cancer Institute have observed that most of the exposure to radioactive iodine was due to consumption of contaminated foodstuffs within a few months of the accident -- although there was some airborne exposure while nuclear fuel burned and smoked and was spread by winds.

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“Our own studies have conclusively shown that those exposed before age 18 years are at risk for developing thyroid cancer and select other thyroid diseases in relation to exposure to radioactive iodine,” Zablotska says.

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Other radioisotopes released in much smaller amounts after the accident included long-lived cesium-134 and cesium-137, and strontium-90. Strontium can compete with calcium for absorption into bone, Zablotska says. She has been studying 110,000 workers exposed to penetrating gamma radiation from these radionuclides during clean-up at the Chernobyl plant that took place between 1986 and 1990.

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Zablotska estimated that the exposure to Chernobyl clean-up workers in her study averaged 76.4 millisieverts. There is a significantly elevated dose-dependent risk for leukemia among the workers, she has found.

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edit: dose rates near the Fukushima plant were as high a 400 millisieverts per hour this week

[applegrove]

1. Thanks for posting.