Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 29, 2026
Removal of Trace Elements by Cupric Oxide Nanoparticles from Uranium In Situ Recovery Bleed Water and Its Effect on Cell Viability
Published on: June 21, 2015
Reducing the 137Cs-load in the organism of "Chernobyl" children with apple-pectin
V B Nesterenko1, A V Nesterenko, V I Babenko
1Belrad Institute of Radiation Safety, Charity House, 11 Staroborisovsky Trakt, 220114 Minsk, Republic of Belarus. nester@hmti.ac.by
Insights
Apple pectin supplements significantly reduced cesium-137 (137Cs) levels in children, even when consuming clean food. This study demonstrates pectin
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Radiological Protection
- Nutrition Science
Background:
- Cesium-137 (137Cs) contamination poses a health risk, particularly to children in affected regions.
- Apple pectin preparations are used in some areas to mitigate 137Cs uptake.
- The efficacy of pectin when consuming radiologically clean food remains a key question.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of oral pectin in reducing 137Cs body burden in children.
- To determine if pectin's benefit extends beyond simply blocking absorption from contaminated food.
- To assess pectin's role in a controlled, low-contamination environment.
Main Methods:
- A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted.
- 64 children from contaminated villages participated, staying in a sanatorium with clean food.
- Participants received either apple-pectin powder or a placebo for one month.
Main Results:
- Children receiving pectin showed an average 137Cs reduction of 62.6%.
- Children receiving placebo with clean food had only a 13.9% reduction (p <0.01).
- Pectin supplementation led to significantly lower 137Cs levels compared to placebo.
Conclusions:
- Oral pectin is effective in reducing 137Cs body burden, even when children consume radiologically clean food.
- Pectin offers a significant radioprotective benefit beyond simply blocking intestinal absorption.
- Apple pectin supplementation is a valuable intervention for children with 137Cs exposure.
Abstract:
As a complement of standard radioprotective measures, apple-pectin preparations are given, especially in the Ukraine, to reduce the 137Cs uptake in the organism of children. The question has been raised: is oral pectin also useful when children receive radiologically clean food, or does this polysaccharide only act in binding 137Cs in the gut, blocking its intestinal absorption? In this case, pectin would be useless if radiologically clean food could be given. The study was a randomised, double blind placebo-controlled trial comparing the efficacy of a dry and milled apple-extract containing 15-16% pectin with a similar placebo-powder, in 64 children originating from the same group of contaminated villages of the Gomel oblast. The average 137Cs load was of about 30 Bq/kg bodyweight (BW). The trial was conducted during the simultaneous one-month stay in the sanatorium Silver Spring. In this clean radiological environment only radiologically "clean" food is given to the children. The average reduction of the 137Cs levels in children receiving oral pectin powder was 62.6%, the reduction with "clean" food and placebo was 13.9%, the difference being statistically significant (p <0.01). The reduction of the 137Cs load is medically relevant, as no child in the placebo group reached values below 20 Bq/kg BW (which is considered by Bandazhevsky as potentially associated with specific pathological tissue damages), with an average value of 25.8 +/- 0.8 Bq/kg. The highest value in the apple-pectin group was 15.4 Bq/kg, the average value being 11.3 +/- 0.6 Bq/kg BW.
