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13. Decorporation of Chernobyl radionuclides
Vassily B Nesterenko1, Alexey V Nesterenko
1Institute of Radiation Safety (BELRAD), 2-nd Marusinsky St. 27, Minsk 220053, Belarus. anester@mail.ru
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
|December 17, 2009
Summary
Chernobyl
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Radiation Protection
- Nuclear Medicine
Background:
- Chernobyl disaster's long-term health consequences persist, particularly for children in Belarus and Ukraine.
- International aid is crucial but insufficient to manage the scale of the catastrophe's effects.
- Contaminated food consumption leads to significant internal radiation doses, exceeding safe limits in affected regions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of pectin food additives in reducing internal Cesium-137 (Cs-137) contamination in children.
- To provide practical radioprotective strategies for populations consuming contaminated food.
- To highlight discrepancies between official dose assessments and actual internal contamination levels.
Main Methods:
- Whole-body counting measurements of Cs-137 accumulation in children.
- Administration of apple-pectin food additives (5g twice daily for 18-25 days).
- Analysis of Cs-137 level changes before and after pectin treatment courses.
Main Results:
- Official dose estimates may underestimate actual annual radiation exposure by 3-8 times.
- Pectin additive treatment significantly reduced Cs-137 levels in children's bodies by 30-40% per course.
- Pectin-based food additives proved effective for Cs-137 decorporation in children.
Conclusions:
- Pectin food additives offer a viable and effective method for individual radioprotection against internal Cs-137 contamination.
- There is a need for revised radiation protection strategies and interference levels for children in Chernobyl-affected areas.
- Continued research and application of decorporation agents like pectin are essential for mitigating Chernobyl's health legacy.
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