Hematological Effects of Chernobyl In Belarus: Do They Really Exist Ten Years Later?

While analysing exposure of the lymphohemopoietic system of the population of Belarus to ionizing radiation as a consequence of the Chernobyl nuclear accident it should be stated that the separation of the effect of low level radiation from the whole set of other Chernobyl factors including the socio-psychological and environmental situation is not reliable as currently these factors cannot be quantified fully. Structural, metabolic or functional changes of blood cells registered in exposed people which are believed to be deterministic but which are not unidirectional, and are based sometimes on inappropriately controlled clinical observations, may be of significance for the evaluation of certain non-hematological diseases, as the deviations of hematopoietic and immune cell behaviour patterns may influence natural defence mechanisms, the incidence of diseases and their clinical manifestations. The risk of non-deterministic effects of irradiation associated with the Chernobyl accident is too low now for leukemias to be statistically found but it could not be ruled out entirely in future assuming combined unfavourable action of all environmental factors.